Living the Escape Plan
by skittlesmomma27
Summary: Who knew when the escape plan was created, it would actually be needed? Beth is sick of the people around her underestimating her so a surprise gift from Daryl changes everything. Daryl and Beth all the way!
1. Chapter 1

**I'm a little nervous about this story idea because this is the first time I've ever written a fic for this genre but I'm excited to try. While I do love a good slow burn, this one won't be that slow! LOL.**

 **I will be using the first several chapters to set up the story and then we will get to actually doing what the title says.**

 **Nothing new here except this very important disclaimer... I DO NOT own anything Walking Dead related except the plot to this specific story!**

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Chapter 1

 _Hello friend,_

 _I know it's been a while since you've heard from me but I have been struggling lately. Being a babysitter is not something I every imagined to be my dream job but that is what has been 'assigned' as my job here in the prison and I hate it. It's not that the kids are bad but they're not MY kids so I shouldn't have to keep track of them all day every day. Plus, I told Mr. Samuels that Lizzie was confused about what the walkers actually was and he brushed me off. I caught her again today feeding mice she had caught to them through the fences. There is something seriously off about that girl but nobody will listen to me._

 _I overheard Dad and Rick talking about making an escape plan in case this place ever got overrun like the farm and we happened to get separated we would all know where to go instead of just wondering around lost. I think it's a great plan but I think instead of just finding a random house to meet at, we need to find somewhere else that we can call home and store some supplies there so we aren't forced to spend months on the road again searching for a place. Especially now that we have more kids to worry about. I just don't know how to tell them that, it's not like they will listen to anything the kid who's not good enough for anything other than babysitting and washing dishes has to say. Frustrated and discontent does not even begin to describe the feelings I am keeping bottled up inside these days._

 _Carl caught me watching Daryl again today as he drove up the drive on his motorcycle. He is so damn handsome and he doesn't even know it. Ever since he came and told me that my boyfriend at the time, Zach, had been killed on one of their runs and hugged me tightly as I processed the information I can't get him out of my mind. Sometimes I dream that he would—_

"Hey, I brought you something you've been wanting." Daryl said as he stepped into my cell with a blanket wrapped 'gift' in his hands interrupting me mid-sentence. Glancing down at the words on my page and the man standing in front of me brought a blush to my face.

I couldn't help but smile broadly and jump up from my bed, tossing my journal to the side. "What is it? I don't think I've said anything about wanting something specific." I said as I bounced on my feet in anticipation.

He shrugged as he handed me the bundle in his arms. "Be careful unwrapping it." He told me in his gruff way as he leaned back against the bars of my cell door.

Sitting the package down on my thin mattress I bent over to begin unwrapping the blanket slowly. Hearing Daryl groan from behind me caused me to smile to myself before I fixed my face to look at him over my shoulder. "You okay? You said to be careful." I told him with a small smile.

A simple grunt and nod was the only answer I got before I returned my attention to unwrapping the bulky item that lay on my bed. When I finally caught a glimpse of the black and blue frame I forgot all about going slow and quickly tossed the rest of the blanket off before picking up the beautiful crossbow. "This is amazing." I breathed out as I tested the weight of it in my hands before carefully laying it on the bed and throwing myself at Daryl in my excitement. "Thank you." I breathed against his neck as I hugged him tightly.

He wrapped his arms around and hugged me back. "You're welcome." He whispered against the side of my head.

Sliding my hands up his back so that I could grip his shoulders as I stood on my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek caused his arms to tighten around my waist. "Better watch yourself, little girl." He groaned as he shifted his hips away from mine that was pressed fully against him but it wasn't quick enough for me to not feel the effect my closeness had on his body.

Pulling back from him I looked him dead in the eyes. "I'm not a little girl any more, Daryl." I whispered to him as I slid one of my hands from his shoulder down his back and around to place it on his chest.

"You don't want to go down this road with me, Beth. You're too good for a guy like me." He grunted out as he slid his hands across my back before settling on my hips.

I quickly shook my head. "That's not true, Daryl. You are a good man. Everybody sees it and so do I." I told him softly as I stood on my tiptoes once again to place a quick kiss to his lips, surprising him.

He groaned as his hands tightened on my hips, pulling me flush to him. "Don't start something unless you plan to finish it. I'm not Jimmy or Zach. I'm too old to play teenage games." He growled as he slipped his fingers beneath the hem of my t-shirt causing me to inhale loudly and lean more firmly against his chest which caused him to growl as my hard nipples pressed against his hard chest.

"Okay." I told him as I pressed my lips to his once again. Before I could register what was happening he spun us around so that my back was pressed against the concrete wall of my prison cell and one of his hands was threaded through my hair cupping the back of my neck. He angled my head so he could deepen the kiss. I had shared deep kisses with Jimmy and Zach but never like this. This kiss was on a whole different level and I groaned when I felt his tongue slide along the seam of my lips demanding entrance which I readily granted.

Sliding both of my hands up into his hair I fisted the long strands tightly in my hands as I wiggled my hips against his to try and ease the ache that had formed there but he just pressed me harder into the wall as his hand left my hair to grab onto my hips once more. "Jump." He grunted out as he slid his hands over my butt and squeezed.

Without hesitation I quickly obeyed his command and wrapped my legs around his waist which pressed his hard erection into my aching center causing me to bury my face in his throat to try and muffle my moans at the feelings coursing through my body as his hips rocked into mine. "Daryl…" I trailed off as his hands slid from my butt, up my waist, and forward to my small breasts that were straining against the thin sports bra I was wearing. When his slid his thumbs over my aching nipples I bit into the side of his neck causing his hips to jerk into mine.

"Bethy! You in here?!" Maggie called out. Daryl quickly dropped my feet to the floor and pulled away from me with nearly black eyes. I watched as he reached into his pants adjusting the hardness I had been grinding on.

The only response I got out of him before he hightailed it out of my cell like his ass was on fire was a grunted "Training at sunup. Be ready." My knees finally gave out and I slid to the floor of my cell which is where my sister found me smiling down into my hands just a few seconds later.

"What was Dixon doing in here?" Maggie asked as she just barged into my 'room' and eyeballing my form as I sat in the floor leaning against the wall.

I looked up at her. "Not that it's any of your concern, Maggie, but I am a grown ass woman and can have whoever I want in my room." I snapped at her, my sexual frustration causing me to be snappy. "He brought me this beautiful crossbow and was telling me that training starts in the morning at sunrise." I told her as I pointed to the beautiful black and blue painted crossbow that looked practically brand new.

"I didn't know you were interested in learning how to use a crossbow. Who's going to watch the kids then if you're off playing with your new toy?" She asked as she folded her arms across her chest. She was the main source of my frustration these days. Everybody treated me like I was a naïve little kid and I wasn't anymore. After watching too many people I loved get eaten by the dead and losing my childhood home and two boyfriends, I was far from naïve. Which is why I wanted to learn how to use a crossbow. It was more effective against the walkers than a gun or knife. Plus, I was tired of being just the babysitter around here. "Have you asked Daddy about this?" She asked which just pushed me over the edge.

Forcing myself from the wall I was seething. "Didn't know an adult needed permission to learn how to survive in the damn new world we're being forced to live in, Maggie. And how about the parents of those children watch them for a change!" I told her as clenched my fists against my sides to try and tame my temper.

Maggie just shook her head and left my cell without another word. I walked over and slid the door shut which let everybody know that I didn't want to be disturbed, not like they ever listened anyways. Sitting on my bed I picked my knew crossbow up and ran my fingers over it to get a feel for it in an attempt to get my temper back under control. Once I had tested out the fit of the crossbow, which was a Barnett Lady Whitetail Hunter according to the words engraved on the side of it, I rested it against the wall like I had seen Daryl do countless times before laying back against my bed closing my eyes to relive what had between Daryl and I.

It changed everything.

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 **Please let me know what you guys think about the first chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wasn't going to post this chapter for a few more days to let the story generate some interest but my frustration got the better of me! Just want to say a huge THANK YOU to the few of y'all who reviewed and want the story to continue, this chapter is for y'all!**

 **I'm not going to waste much breath on this but I just have to say a few things to a certain guest reviewer who clearly has an account because you left me a very criticizing 223 word review on how my characters are OOC. Of course they are, they're going to do what I WANT them to do! If I wanted them to act like the characters on the show then I wouldn't have written this story and the point of fandom writing would be a moot point now wouldn't it?**

 **Don't own anything other than the plot to this specific story and the way the characters act!**

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 **Chapter 2**

If I had thought that Daryl would take it easy on me the next morning because of what had happened in my cell I was 100% wrong. Sighing heavily I stuck my foot in the hold and pulled up on the Barnett to engage it once again. I had hit the target using the scope on top of the frame but Daryl hadn't been happy enough so I was told to do it again. And again. And again.

"If I'm hitting the target dead center why am I having to do it over and over?" I asked Daryl in a huff as struggled to pull the bow back to engage the strings.

Daryl leaned against the tree casually as he made sharp points into sticks, effectively making his own arrows. "Because you aren't using instinct. You're using technology. What's going to happen if something happens to your scope? What if it gets knocked out of alignment? You'll just be another dead girl walking then."

Frustrated with the whole thing I took the Barnett over to him. "Take it off then." I growled at him, shoving the crossbow into his arms. When I was sure he had a grip on it I stomped off towards the stream we had passed a few yards back to splash water over my face.

I was bent over at the waist when I felt hands slide along my hips. "You keep getting sassy with me and I may just have to tan your ass." Daryl growled before he removed a hand only to bring it back to me in a stinging slap that caused me to groan and lurch upwards. He groaned as he palmed the spot he had just slapped which caused me to moan and lean back against him. "See what you started?" He growled against my neck as he slid his hands around my waist, dipping his fingers under the edge of my shirt.

Wiggling against his body I attempted to turn around in his arms so I could kiss him or touch him but he held me firm. "Daryl…" I whined in protest.

He slid his hand suddenly under the edge of the jeans I wore which made my protests die in a moan. I reached back over my head sliding my fingers into his hair as he nipped and sucked along the column of my neck. So slowly I almost wanted to whine again he slid his hand further into my jeans until he cupped my scorching heat in his palm. "No panties today, Greene? You're not such a nice girl after all, are you?" He growled as he bit the lobe of my ear at the same time he pushed his finger forward to circle my throbbing clit.

Tightening my hold in his hair I felt my knees go weak as he manipulated my body to his will. I couldn't form coherent words to save my life as he slid his fingers through my wetness, effectively holding me up against his body. I wasn't sure how, but before I realized it he had us sitting on the ground, me between his legs and my legs thrown over his to open my body to him without taking my clothes off. "Just gonna take the edge off, okay?" He whispered against the shell of my ear as his free hand slid up under my shirt to cup my breast, under my sports bra. It was the first time I had felt his hands on my body under my clothes and it was better than my imagination could have ever dreamed up.

I nodded against his shoulder as he worked my body expertly causing me to moan loudly, which echoed off the trees in the empty woods we were 'training' in. His hand left my breasts so he could turn my face to his and seal our lips together, essentially swallowing my moans, before returning to my aching mounds. When his finger entered me for the first time, I gasped into his mouth and pulled back to look at his face. "Daryl…" I moaned as I rotated my hips the best I could considering my postion.

"Have you…" He trailed off as he slowly pulled and pushed his finger from my body while the palm of his hand pressed against my clit.

"Yeah." I breathed before smashing my lips back against his.

It didn't take long at all for my body to explode under his hands but he continued to work my body until I had come down from my second high. When I pulled my lips away from his he frowned as he reached a hand up to brush my hair off of my face. "We're not gonna be able to go back for a while." He said as he stroked my tender lips and cheeks. "Your face will give us away in a heartbeat."

I shrugged my shoulders. "You ashamed?" I asked as he pulled his hand from my pants and slid my legs back together between his.

He shook his head. "Nope just prefer to stay alive is all." He whispered softly as he placed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"I'm a grown ass woman, Daryl. I can make my own decisions." I told him as I pushed off of him in my frustration but stopped when he groaned in pain. "What's wrong?" With a roll of his eyes he motioned to his lap that I had used to push my hips off of him with. "Oh."

The laugh that burst out of his lips caught me by surprise because I don't think I had ever heard him laugh before. "Yeah…oh indeed." He groaned as he pushed himself to his feet with a groan before reaching inside his pants once again to readjust himself.

"It's not right for me to get off and not you. Can I help you?" I asked as I sat back on my ankles and looked up at him with wide eyes.

He shook his head before reaching down and placing a gentle kiss to my lips. "Not this time, baby girl. I'll be okay." He whispered against my lips.

I couldn't help but smile at the new nickname from him. "You sure? I've done stuff before to help out—"

My words were cut off by his lips taking mine in a brutal kiss as his hands framed my face roughly. With a little pressure on my face and neck he guided me to my feet before spinning me around and pressing my back against the tree all without ever breaking the breathtaking kiss. "Don't ever speak of what you did with those kids to me, understood?" He growled against my lips angrily.

I nodded before sliding my hands under the edge of his t-shirt that he had cut the sleeves off of to grip the edge of his jeans, gasping when I felt the tip of his cock touch my fingers. Running the tips of my fingers across the top of it, I pulled the moisture away before placing my finger in my mouth, tasting him for the first time. He watched the whole show with wide dark eyes and clenched jaw. My hands reached for the button of his jeans when we heard rustling in the distance just before my name was called. By my sister. "Bethy?! Daryl?!"

Popping a quick kiss on his lips and a whispered "Later." I scooted out from between him and the tree turning towards the direction my sister's voice had been coming. "Why are you hollering? You want to attract more walkers?" I asked my sister as I picked up my crossbow where Daryl had propped it against the tree before approaching me earlier.

"Oh stop being dramatic." Maggie said with a roll of her eyes. "I was just coming to see how the training was going."

Rolling my eyes at her I stuck my foot in the hold and with one pull engaged the strings. "It's going. Daryl's been complaining because I use the scope instead of my eyes." I told her with a smile, which was the truth but as I looked at my Barnett, the scope was no longer there.

"Well, why wouldn't you use it if it's there?" Maggie asked confused at what the problem was.

That is when I felt more than heard Daryl approach us. "Because it can't always be trusted to be accurate. Do you want to train her instead of me?" He growled at Maggie before picking my scope and his crossbow off the ground.

"Why are you two so snappy all of a sudden?" Maggie asked Daryl with a pointed glare in our direction.

"Because you don't know when to stop. What's the real reason you came down here?" I asked her as I looked down my crossbow towards the crude target Daryl had drawn on the tree we had been fooling around behind with his knife earlier this morning.

Maggie sighed. "Judith won't stop crying." She whispered softly. "Rick thought maybe you could get her to take her bottle and calm down. And Lizzie is throwing a fit because Carl was killing the walkers on the fence. Ryan, Rick, and Carol are getting frustrated because you are out here playing around."

Daryl's huff of annoyance caused me to smile before I pressed the trigger and released the bolt into the tree, hitting the bullseye dead center before turning to my sister. "No can do. We're going hunting now that I have proven to him that I can hit the mark without the scope on. Y'all are going to have to learn to manage those kids without me." I told her before grabbing my water bottle off the fallen log and taking off deeper into the woods, hoping Daryl would follow in my footsteps.

"Beth. Be reasonable." Maggie said to my back causing me to stop and whirl around.

Shaking my head I glared at her. "You babysat in high school, Maggie, so why don't you go play babysitter for a few weeks." I told her with a tilt of my head.

"But I'm manning the towers with Glenn." She protested.

"Oh really? Cause I'm hunting and training with Daryl." I told her with a smile on my face before turning around and walking off once again. When I could no longer see Maggie standing there talking with Daryl I found a fallen log and sat down to wait for him knowing he would be able to track my footsteps through the underbrush.

It was just a few minutes after I sat down that I felt Daryl approach me. "I'm sorry." I whispered to him as I rested my elbows on my knees while looking over my shoulder at him.

Sliding his bow to his back he ran a hand up the spine of my back. "No need to be sorry. You want to tell me what's going on between you and Maggie?"

"Not right now. I thought we were going hunting?" I asked on a heavy sigh and a shake of my head.

He straddled the log basically encasing my form between his spread legs. "Do you really want to go hunting? You still don't know the first thing about tracking." He whispered against my shoulder as he placed a biting kiss there.

I shook my head as I scooted closer to him so that my side was resting against his chest. "What I wanted to do was finish what we had started but the mood is ruined once again." I sighed in agitation.

"Unfortunately but the day is still young so why don't we get a lesson in on tracking? That way you really can come hunting with me from now on."

"Okay." I sighed as I climbed from the log and awaited my first lesson in tracking both animals and humans.


	3. Chapter 3

**So to explain a few things...**

 **Daryl and Beth are BOTH OOC. Daryl knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go for it. Beth knows what she doesn't want and fixing the problem. Her reasoning will be explain in a future chapter as will Daryl's but for now how about we just go on the ride of this new relationship that is growing in the apocalyptic world.**

 **Re-posted with some wording issues that was pointed out by a reviewer! Thanks for picking up on it and not being afraid to mention it to me in a nice way. I am thankful because I don't typically go back and proofread over the chapter if I am on a roll...so I really am dependent on y'all!**

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 **Chapter 3**

"We missed you yesterday, Bethy." My dad told me as I walked into the kitchen to grab me a plate of scrambled eggs and some peaches that were way past their expiration date to really be healthy for you.

Sitting down beside him I placed a kiss to his wrinkled cheek. "I need to do this dad."

He chuckled as he scooped up some of his own eggs. "Okay. Just please be careful while doing it."

"I will. Has anything come about with the escape plan I keep hearing about?" I asked as I poked at the peaches before taking a deep breath and spearing one with my fork. "I swear if those walkers don't kill me, eating this crap will." I mumbled as I shoved it in my mouth to calm the ache in my stomach.

"One of the Woodbury ladies, Jill, mentioned some cabins up near the Blue Ridge mountains that could be a good place. We're getting a scout team together now to go check it out." He told me and immediately I knew that Daryl would be going with them because he went on every scout mission/run without fail. But he wouldn't be going this go round without me! He just didn't know it yet.

I nodded as I shoveled the fresh eggs into my mouth, they came from the chickens we had outside so I knew they wouldn't kill me or upset my stomach. "I want to go." I told my dad as I finally put my fork down and turned to face him. "I need to go, Dad."

He reached over cupping my cheek in his palm. "Everybody automatically assumes Maggie is the strongest one out of you two girls but I have a feeling you are about to prove them wrong. You're a grown girl, Bethy, by age and circumstances both, so you don't need my permission anymore. All I ask is please be careful and stick with Daryl until you get even better at fighting those things." He told me as he pulled me to him for a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Daddy. I love you." I whispered against his cheek as I placed a return kiss there.

"You remind me so much of your momma when you get something in your head like this." He told me with a watery smile as I stood from the table to take my plate to the bin before racing outside to find Daryl and let him know my decision to come along. "I love you too, sweetheart."

Broaching the subject with Daryl caused our first argument.

I found him doing a pre-run check on his motorcycle. "I want to come with you." I told him as I sat in the grass beside the handkerchief where he had his tools spread out.

"No." He said without looking at me.

"Why not?" I asked as I casually leaned back on my hands.

He glared in my direction. "Because I said so, that's why."

I returned his glare much like I returned the kiss to my Daddy's cheek earlier. "You think just because you've had your hand down my pants that you can tell me what to do?" I snapped at him.

"It's precisely that reason that you can't come, baby girl." He told me with a shake of his head. "I've got to keep a clear head out there so I _can_ do that again."

Growling in his direction I leaned forward, getting as close to him as I could without causing a bigger scene than we already were. "Don't try to sweeten me up by using sex talk and my new nickname, it ain't gonna work. I'm coming."

He threw his tools down and snatched a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lighting it quickly. "I'm not trying to sweeten you up, Beth. We will be distractions for one another out there Which is dangerous enough in this world much less in new unexplored territory. It's just not safe."

"Bullshit." I told him with a shake of my head. "Jill's going and you've fucked her so why isn't she a distraction too?"

His eyes widened when he realized I knew about the romp him and the pretty blonde from Woodbury had partook in a few days after her group had come here. "You know about that?"

"Mhm. Who don't know about that? She's the biggest gossip I've ever seen and that's saying a lot because I was in high school when this started." I told him as I once again relaxed back on my hands. Because I knew that I was going, if he didn't let me ride with him then I would ride in the truck Glen was driving for any supplies acquired along the way. One way or another I was going.

Exhaling a long breath of smoke he stubbed out his cigarette before putting it back in his pocket for later before looking over at me. "Is that the real reason why you want to go? Stake your claim on me without your father's watchful eye? Are you jealous?" He growled at me.

I shook my head. "Nope, my Daddy said to be careful and stick close to you but that I was an adult and didn't need his permission for anything. I want to go because I need to get out of this place for a few days, Daryl. Getting to ride on the back of your motorcycle hugged up against you is just a really nice bonus." I told him as I leaned my head to the side in nonchalance. As I thought more about him and Jill doing some of the things we'd done caused me to sit up growl in his direction. "Should I be jealous of Jill?"

He laughed before reaching out to tap me on the end of the nose. "No. It was a quickie against a wall, Beth. From behind. You are woman enough for me though riding with a hard-on the entire way is going to be really uncomfortable." He said resignedly.

"Yay!" I said as I threw my arms up in the air at the fact that I had gotten my way an won our first argument.

"Get out of here so I can finish looking over my bike without you distracting me." He told with a shake of his head and a smile.

Taking a look around I noticed that nobody was paying us any attention so I leaned forward really quick and placed a quick kiss to his lips, stunning him, before jumping up. "Don't put your things in a bag, we'll just pack one instead of two." He told me before I had gotten too far away.

Since we had been at the prison almost several months I had started accumulating things once again so I sifted through my small pile of clothes and picked the pair of jeans that had the least amount of holes in them because while it was summer time, going up in the mountains on a motorcycle could be chilly plus the night would be even cooler. I was sifting through my shirts when Maggie strode in without 'knocking' or anything. "Don't you have someone else you can bug? I'm tired of being criticized by you lately. And I'm busy." I asked her as I picked out a short sleeve and a long sleeve shirt as well as a clean sports bra and a pair of panties to roll inside my jeans.

"What's gotten in to you lately?" Maggie asked as she sat on the edge of my bed watching me roll my clothes up tightly before placing them on the small metal desk that sat in the corner of the small cell.

With a heavy sigh I sat down on the edge of my to face my sister. "I'm just tired of being treated like a kid all the time. I am capable of more than just washing dishes and watching kids and people, you, need to see that."

"Bethy, I do see that but I also know that you are still young and I think you are just rebelling like most people do at that age." Maggie said as she reached over to grip one of my hands.

Snatching my hands from hers I stood from my bed fuming. "If that's what you think then guess what? You don't know me at all."

"This attitude? That's new and what most teenagers do when they don't get their way." She said twirling her finger in the air at my frustrated stance. "I just don't want you to get hurt during this rebellious phase you're going through."

"You are NOT my mother! I watched MY mother get shot to pieces by a maniac along with OUR big brother. Stop trying to act like you know what's best for me and worry about your own self for a change." I seethed at her.

Maggie stood up with a heavy sigh. "I'm just gonna have to talk to Daddy since you won't see reason, Beth. I think this has something to do with some infatuation you have with Daryl. Carl told me that you eyeball him whenever he's out doing rounds or whatever."

Rolling my eyes at her I laid down on the top of my mattress. "You don't know a damn thing and I've already talked to Daddy. He said I'm grown and can make my own decisions, thank you very much. You can leave now, I'm done talking to you." I told her without sparing her a glance.

It was just a few minutes later I heard the gate on my cell slide closed and felt a body slide into the narrow bunk beside me. Without opening my eyes I huffed in annoyance. "Maggie I'm really done with this conversation."

Instead of a verbal response I felt a warm hand slide onto my stomach and dip under the edge of my pants that was exposed by my shirt being raised up. Immediately I opened my eyes and saw Daryl laying there smirking at me. "Daryl…" I breathed out as he slid his hand further under my jeans and into the wetness that was beginning to pool there.

"I was coming to get your clothes when I heard you and Maggie arguing. Thought you could use a stress reliever." He told me with a smirk. "Plus you mentioning my hand being down your pants earlier got me to thinking how much I liked that."

I bit my lip and turned to bury my face in his throat to muffle my moans when his fingers found my sensitive clit and pressed down on it. "You're going to get us busted by anybody who walk by here."

"So? Your sister already thinks something is going on between us." He whispered as he nudged my face back so he could search my eyes. "You ashamed?" He passed me back the same question I had asked him yesterday in the woods during our one break in training.

Pressing my lips to his, I drug my teeth across his bottom lip before releasing him. "Not in the slightest." I told him staring right back into his eyes as I reached my hand up to brush his hair from his face before sinking my fingers into it to scratch my nails along his scalp. He bucked his hips against mine and groaned in response. "Oh, you like that huh?" I teased as I did it again.

"Mhmm." He moaned as he slid a finger into my wet depths so suddenly it had me tightening my grip and arching my back. "Just like you like it when I do that." He murmured against my throat. "We are NOT having sex for the first time in this prison." He mumbled against my collarbone as he rotated his hips into mine.

Using my grip on his hair, I pulled his face back to mine, sealing our lips together in a passionate kiss. Our lips slid together hungrily for several minutes before he slowed the kiss down to the point where he was basically drinking from my lips as our tongues slid lazily along each other. He pulled his hand from my pants so suddenly he had me pulling away in confusion as to why he suddenly stopped. I got my answer when he pressed his fingertips against my lips. "Open." He demanded in a husky voice.

Without hesitation, I opened my lips and he slid his fingers into my mouth, coating my tongue with my flavor before pulling them out and sticking them in his own mouth. I gasped as he sucks my wetness off his fingers. "Daryl…" I moaned as I shifted my hips uncomfortably on the thin mattress beneath us.

He silenced me with a kiss to my lips where I could taste myself on his lips as his hand trailed back down my body and back beneath my pants to my sweet aching spot. "You are so responsive." He muttered against my lips as my back arched when he sunk two fingers deep into my depths and pressing his thumb to my throbbing clit.

"Oh God." I moaned as I felt the wave build within me, just about to crest over and send me crashing.

He smirked down at me. "Not God, baby, just me." He whispered as he curled his two fingers within me causing the wave to crest and crash as my body jerked beneath him. "Hmm. You are gorgeous when you cum on my fingers." He told me as he once again pulled his fingers from me and brought them to his mouth.

Once I had regained control of my breathing and my body quit jerking I rolled onto my side next to him. "You've got to see me cum and taste me on your fingers but I have barely even got to touch you." I pouted playfully as I slid my fingers down his chest and to his belt where I began undoing the buckle.

"You were about to in the woods if we hadn't been interrupted." He groaned out as I pulled his belt loose and began undoing the button of his jeans. "Be easy." He whispered hoarsely as he rolled over onto his back so I could have easier access to his jeans.

I straddled his leg closest to me as I ran the palm of my hand over the erection barely contained within his pants. He groaned as he clenched his fists as if he was in pain. "Does it hurt?" I questioned as I grasped the tab of his zipper and began pulling it down slowly.

"Four unfinished erections in three days is tough on a guy." He ground out as his pants parted to show his black boxer briefs straining beneath.

Running my fingertips over the material I felt the shiver that ran through his body. "You didn't take care of it?" I asked cocking my head to the side.

"No, I wanted you to do it." He gritted out as I tugged his underwear down enough to release him from his confines. I gasped as I got my first look at him. Having had sex with only two men in my life, his dick was not the first I had ever seen but it was definitely the biggest. "Please Beth…" He groaned as he shifted his hips.

Taking a deep breath I wrapped my hand around his length and my eyes widened when my fingers didn't touch my hand around him. "Will you fit?" I asked as I began moving my hand up and down his length slowly. "It's so big."

"Yes or we'll die trying." He ground out as he suddenly sat up grabbing my head and pulling my lips to his. His lips and teeth attacked mine as my his hand wrapped around mine to show me what he liked. "You're killing me, baby girl." He moaned as he flopped back onto my bed.

Smiling at him I took my other hand and licking my thumb I ran it gently but firmly across the slit at the top collecting the creamy drop that had spilled out before bringing it back to my mouth. As I sucked on my thumb he bucked his hips into our joined hands. "It's a helluva way to die." I told him cockily once I removed my thumb from my mouth.

"Fuck, I'm gonna..." He moaned as he tugged up his t-shirt to reveal a toned stomach which was from all the work he did to protect and provide for our people. I knew he moved his t-shirt up so he wouldn't make a mess on it but I had a different idea in mind. Though I had never done this kind of thing before I wanted to try to please him. Winking at him I leaned forward and put my lips around the head of his erection causing his hand to falter but mine kept stroking him. His hands quickly found purchase in my hair trying to tug my head backwards but I shook my head without breaking my contact with his straining dick. When my eyes met his I swiped my tongue across the slit licking away the cum that had already leaked out. His body suddenly bowed as he spilled into my mouth as my hands stroked him firmly to make sure I didn't miss any. "You…." He said breathlessly as he flopped his head back onto my pillow.

Once I swallowed all he had to offer me, I crawled back up beside him to lay next to him while he caught his breath. "You gonna survive?" I teased as his chest fell rapidly beneath my palm.

Instead of speaking he merely nodded as his arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me down beside him. I reached down and tugged his boxer briefs back up just in case someone pulled my blankets aside. That was for my eyes only from now on. Once he was semi-decent I cocked one leg up over hips and laid my head in the crook of his shoulder allowing myself to relax. "That was one helluva stress reliever." I chuckled against his chest.

"Yeah." He grunted tiredly.

With a smile on my face and content in his arms I let my eyes slide shut.

* * *

 **Please review and let me know what you think...PLEASE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Taking a nap in Daryl's arms was heavenly until we were woke up by a screaming baby. "This damn place is way too loud these days." Daryl grumbled as he scrubbed a hand across his face.

"No shit." I said as I stretched next to him. "Now do you see why I want to go with you guys? I need a break before I break somebody." I told him with a chuckle as I rolled from the bed to stand up. "Time to get up, sleeping beauty." I teased him as I reached down grabbing his hand and playfully attempting to tug him from the bed when he suddenly jerked me back down on top of him.

"Wasn't sleeping beauty woke up by getting a kiss?" He asked as he threaded his fingers through my hair tugging my face close to his.

Smiling down at him I straddled his hips as I placed my hands on either side of his head halting his progress. "How do you know about fairytales?" I asked him as I let him tug me an inch closer.

"May have read through the book with lil Asskicker out there. Now are you going to stay true to the fairytale?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Nodding my head I let him pull me the rest of the way down until my lips met his just about the same time that my cell door slid open. Smiling against his lips I whispered. "Guess we're busted." Before placing another quick peck to his smirking lips. When I went to move off of him his hands reached up and halted me before I could move too far.

"She'll be right there, Rick. Close the door back on your way out." Daryl said without ever breaking his gaze from mine.

The person who had caught us, Rick according to Daryl, silently retreated and shut the door back. "Why? How?" I asked as I leaned back on his hips, placing my hands on his chest.

His eyes shifted to where I was seated at before coming back up to meet mine. "Did you forget you undone my pants earlier? Don't like showing my skivvies to just anybody." He winked at me before shifting me off of him so he could do up his pants and belt.

"Oh." I said as I flopped back onto my bed, the idea that we had been caught weighing heavily on my mind. "Will he say anything?"

"Be honest, are you ashamed to be with me? Worried what your dad or sister might say?" Daryl asked as he lay back down beside me once his clothes were fastened once again.

I quickly shook my head. "No, I just wanted to keep it between us a little bit longer is all. My Daddy respects you and Maggie can go kiss a monkey's ass for all I care." I said firmly, without a moments hesitation.

Placing a quick kiss to my lips Daryl climbed from the bed. "Then I'll tell Rick to keep it to himself for a while." He told me as he winked at me and grabbed my rolled up clothes from my desk. "Footsteps and the crying baby is how I knew it was Rick." He told me as he opened my cell door and left.

Laying there wasn't getting anything done and Daryl had told Rick that I would be right out so I climbed from the bed once again and left the sanctuary of my cell that would always hold good memories for me. It would always be the first time I got to taste Daryl.

I found Rick in the kitchen trying to coax four month old Judith to take the bottle he kept swiping across her lips. Strolling right up to him I took the bottle from his hands before bending down to pluck the crying baby from his arms. "Has her diaper been checked?" I asked him as I began bouncing the baby in my arms.

"Yeah, I've tried everything I could think of. It's been a long damn time since I've had to take care of an infant and Lori did most of it with Carl." He told me as he shook his head.

The baby settled against my chest with a heavy sigh and her eyes slid shut immediately, no bottle or coaxing needed. I couldn't help but smile as her weight settled against my chest. "Maybe she was just fighting her sleep." I told Rick as I finally glanced up at him.

"Or maybe she just missed you." He told me with a smile. "Maybe you could still spend a little bit of time with her between everything else you got going on?" He asked as he ran a hand over his daughter's soft blonde curls.

Smiling down at the content baby I nodded. "Yeah, I don't think that'll be a problem. Daryl talk to you yet?" I asked him as I continued to rock the baby side to side.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I won't say anything other than thank you."

"For?" I asked confused as to what he would be thanking me for, it should be the other way around.

"Making him smile and laugh again. I haven't seen that happen in a really long time. Dude deserves some happiness in this shitty world. We all do." He told me as he patted me on the shoulder. "You good with her for a little while?"

I nodded as I began walking towards his cell where I knew her crate was stored. "Yeah, I'll watch her until dinner. Did Daryl tell you that I'm going on this scouting trip?" I called out to his as an afterthought.

He turned around and nodded. "Yeah. I think it'll do you some good to get away for a few days."

"Me too." I said as we went our separate ways. I found the crate tucked underneath Rick's bunk and gently lay the peacefully sleeping baby down onto the blankets that lay there. "You sure are a pretty girl, Judy." I whispered as I stroked her chubby little cheek.

That night at dinner I took my normal seat between my Dad and Carl with Maggie and Glenn sitting on the other side of the picnic style tables. Once I was finished with my plate of rice, beans, and sliced tomatoes I simply rested my head on my Daddy's shoulder. "You okay, Bethy?" He asked me softly as he patted me on the knee.

"Mmhmm." I mumbled as I met Maggie's glare across the table. "Think we can sit and play a game of cards after dinner?" I asked him softly as Maggie continued to glare at me.

My Dad placed a gentle kiss to the top of my head. "Sure. We haven't done that in a long time." He told me with a chuckle. "I might be a little rusty. You worried about going tomorrow?"

"Nope, I'm actually ready to get out of here for a few days. Just felt like getting a game of poker going as a fun way to send us off on this scouting." I told him with a smile because not many people knew that I knew how to play poker but my dad had taught me when I was a little girl.

"You know how to play poker?" Sasha asked in disbelief from the other end of the table.

Lifting my head from my dad's shoulder I looked down at her. "Yeah, you want in on the game?"

"Absolutely."

One by one I took the 'chips', which were actually small pebbles I had picked out of the fields, of each person playing until it was just my Dad and I left and he only had three 'chips' left. "Come on, Daddy. Just give up already." I taunted him as I rested my chin in the palm of my hand.

Sasha, Michonne, Glenn, Carl, and Carol sat at the table watching my father and in amusement but I wasn't revealing a single thing. In all honestly my hand sucked. I had a pair of 6's Queen high which was easily beatable but my Dad didn't know that. "I think you're bluffing, Bethy." My dad said with a raised eyebrow in my direction.

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed in annoyance. "Raise me again and we'll see." I told him without letting on how bad my hand was.

He sighed and tossed his cards down, face down. Folding. "What have you got over there young lady?" He asked as everybody looked at me with bright smiles.

"Not a whole lot, old man. You really are rusty at this." I told him as I flipped my cards up before raking the 'chips' towards my already large pile with a laugh.

Everybody around us exploded in laughter as my dad shook his head in defeat. "That's not even right, to play your old man like that. Where did you learn to be such a good bluffer?" He teased me as he shuffled the deck for one last hand.

"You!" I told him as I chanced a glance at Daryl who stood behind Sasha and Michonne watching us in amusement. He winked at me from behind everybody's back and I couldn't help but smile brightly before turning my attention to the cards my dad had dealt me. "Last hand. I gotta get some sleep before we leave in the morning." I told him as I picked up my cards.

They were shit. 2 of diamonds and 6 of spades.

I bluffed my way through until the river was laying on the table between my father and I. We were having a staring contest across the table. He had taught me early on to only look at my two cards one time and memorize them because the more times you looked at them it became obvious that you were trying to make a hand out of the cards being laid on the table. With the five cards on the table I had a straight but it was easily beatable because it was a low straight. "I raise you my last rock, Bethy."

Once my dad had tossed his last rock on the pile I slowly grabbed one from my pile and tossed it in, matching his bet. "Show your cards, Pops." I told him with a tilt of my head as I drummed my fingers on my card.

He flipped his over and I'll be damned, I won! Flipping my two cards over I stood from my seat and raked the last few rocks over to join my pile. "Nice game, old man, but you're too rusty." I told my father as I walked around to press a kiss to his cheek while the rest of the table laughed at my win. "I love you more than you'll ever know, Daddy." I whispered against his cheek.

"I love you too, Bethy. It was nice to see you smiling tonight but I think a certain young man is waiting for you to go to bed." He told me with a pat to my cheek.

Pulling back with wide eyes I searched his eyes for any signs that he may not agree with my relationship with Daryl but I found none. "How?" I whispered softly so as to not let on to the others.

"I saw him coming from your cell this afternoon with a smile on his face. Be happy but be careful. I love you." He told me once again.

Pressing another kiss to his cheek I raised up and declared it bed time for me. Everybody else agreed but my dad asked Daryl to stay back and help and 'old man' inside. Shooting Daryl a quick smile I headed inside to my cell and got ready for bed. Since settling in here I had acquired some pajamas that I regularly slept in so I quickly shed my clothes and slipped on my one pair of thin pajama bottoms. I rarely slept in a shirt since I wore a sports bra and my bars were covered with blankets so once my bottoms were settled around my waist I pulled back my blankets and slid beneath them. Being hopeful I slid all the way to the wall giving Daryl plenty of room to join me if he so decided.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I was jerked out of my sleep by a warm arm sliding over my bare stomach and a strained voice. "You've got to be kidding me." Daryl groaned as he slid down into the bed behind me.

"What's wrong?" I mumbled, still half asleep.

"Your Dad just gave me the 'that's my daughter' speech and then I come in here to find you half naked is what's wrong." He grouse as he pressed a kiss to the back of my neck as he settled his warm body against mine tangling his legs with mine.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry I couldn't warn you, he surprised me when I told him goodnight." I told him softly because at night time, voices travelled in this concrete jungle.

"And what's your excuse for sleeping half naked?" He mumbled into my hair.

"Comfort. I've been sleeping like this since we settled here. Goodnight." I mumbled as I felt my eyelids get heavy once more.

"Goodnight, baby."

The next morning I woke up to Daryl placing warm wet kisses along the column of my neck. "Time to rise and shine, baby girl."

"Mmmm." I moaned as I pressed back against his firm chest and threading my fingers through his that rested on my stomach. "When are we leaving?" I asked as I reveled in his morning touches.

"After breakfast but I've got to talk to Rick before we go and you need to make up with your sister before we leave." He told me softly against my ear as he hugged me tightly to his chest which I just realized was bare. Apparently I was too sleepy last night to realize he had joined me in bed half naked like he complained of me being.

I groaned at his words before I rolled in his arms to face him. "Do I have to make up with her? She being retched these days." I complained as I pressed a warm kiss to his throat as my hand slid down his arm and around his waist to splay along his back. Feeling him tense in my arms caused me to pop my eyes open wide and look up to his face. "Daryl..?" I whispered as I traced my fingers over the bumps and ridges al over his back.

He pulled me flush against his chest and buried his head in my shoulder. "My Dad wasn't nothing like yours or Rick." He whispered into my shoulder as a shudder wracked through his body when my palms flattened over the upper portion of his back.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that but it doesn't change how I feel about you." I whispered as I placed a kiss to the side of his head right above his ear. "Not one single bit."

After several minutes he finally pulled back from me to look into my eyes. "They're horrible and they represent horrible things. How do they not change how you look at me?" He whispered softly as we heard others around us begin to wake up and get their day started.

"Because they show me how strong you are. You overcame a horrid childhood and now you are laying here with me, being with me." I whispered back to him.

His answer was to seal his lips to mine in a kiss that stole my breath. He rolled me onto my back, pressing his weight down on me as I instinctually wrapped my arms and legs around him. It was when I hooked my ankles behind his back that his erection pressed against my center. "Baby…" He moaned as he ripped his lips from mine and pushed himself up on his arms to tower over me. He rotated his hips which caused me to arch my back and dig my nails into his back which in turn caused him to his and jerk his hips. "We've gotta stop." He moaned out as he rocked his erection against my hot center.

"Un uh." I told him as I tugged his lips and chest back down to mine. "No we don't. Not yet." I told him as I pushed on his shoulders encouraging him to roll over onto his back. Yesterday when I had been on top of him straddling his hips I fell in love with the control it gave me.

Once he was stretched out on his back and I was sitting astride his hips with my hands splayed on his chest. "You like being in control, don't ya?" He asked as his hands slid around my waist and down to my hips inside my pajama bottoms.

I couldn't help but grin at him as I rotated my hips against his. "Maybe. Nobody's ever let me be in control or on top before." I told him as I slid my fingers over until I could swipe across his coppery nipples which tightened beneath my fingers. His back arched and his fingers tightened on my hips as I continued rotating on top of him. Hearing him groan beneath me, because of me, was more powerful than I ever thought it would be.

"You're playing a dangerous game, baby." He ground out as he gripped my hips and forced me down onto him as he arched up into me. His erection rubbed right against my throbbing clit causing me to arch backwards. I rotated my hips with his help and we soon had set a punishing rhythm that was hurdling us both towards the finish line when a shrill voice doused us with ice water.

"YOU'RE SERIOUSLY GOING TO LET HER JUST GO!?" Maggie screamed at who I assumed was our father just before my cell door was slung open to reveal an angry Maggie.

"Get out and shut the door behind you." I told her while moving off of Daryl's lap and tugging the blanket up over us mainly because of the fact that I was wearing just a sports bra and pajama bottoms but also to cover Daryl's bare chest. While neither of us had wanted to expose our relationship so soon it was fairly inevitable when you had so many people living in such close quarters. I mean there were over 30 people, including us, living in a single cell block.

Maggie looked at the two of us wide eyed. "You're sleeping together?" She asked disbelievingly.

"Maggie, this doesn't concern you, sweetheart. Leave you sister alone. She is old enough to make her own decisions now." My dad said from behind her.

With a shake of her head she gave one last low blow that would have caused me to loose my cool if Daryl hadn't been sitting right next to me. "Who knew you would turn into such a whore when the world ended?" She uttered before turning around to leave the cell.

My father standing in the doorway of my cell also helped keep a check on my temper. "I'm sorry Bethy, I tried to stop her but when she found out that I supported your decision to go she just barged in here." My dad said as he looked between mine and Daryl's half dressed forms. "Why don't you two get dressed and we'll have a family meeting outside?" He asked with a head nod.

"Okay, Daddy." I told him as I scrambled off the bed towards him. Placing my hands on his shoulders I bent forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Just so you know, nothing happened beside sleeping and some kissing this morning." I told him honestly because our hands hadn't strayed far beneath our clothes before we were interrupted once again by my sister.

My dad grimaced and shook his head. "Don't need to know all of that, Bethy. You promised you would be careful and Daryl swore that he would never hurt you and I believe both of you. So how about we just leave it at that, huh?"

I giggled at the look of disgust on my Daddy's face. "Okay, Daddy. We'll meet you outside in a little bit." I told him before going back inside my cell shutting the 'door' behind me.

"Well that wasn't weird at all." I told Daryl as I climbed back on the bed, over his prone form to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Good thing we didn't want to keep this quiet." I told him as he wrapped his arms around my body.

"Yeah because apparently your sister has a huge stick stuck up her ass these days." Daryl said as he slid his hands under the waist of my pajama bottoms cupping my panty clad ass in his hands. "At least now Carl and all those Woodbury boys will know that this fantastic ass of yours belongs to me."

Bending down I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "It belongs to you, huh? Does that mean your gorgeous ass belongs to me?" I breathed against his lips.

His smile was breathtaking as it spread across his face. "Absolutely." He told me as he suddenly popped a quick slap to the ass he had just complimented as being fantastic. "Get off me woman. I don't need to have a meeting with your father with a raging hard-on."

Grinning at him I slid off him and to my feet so I could have the memory of watching him climb from my bed after spending our first night together. I pulled my lip between my teeth as I watched him toss my blanket aside and stand up in nothing but a pair of sweatpants that I didn't even know he owned.

"If you don't stop looking at me like that, we're both going to be in trouble." He told me as he grabbed his t-shirt from the back of the little chair that sat in front of my desk. "We both know that I don't need a bed to get things done." He winked at me before he pulled his boots from beneath my bed and stomped his feet into them.

Releasing my lip, I automatically ran my tongue along the teeth impressions which caused him to groan and yank me to him roughly. He smashed his lips against mine in a quick bruising kiss before smacking me hard on the ass causing me to jump, giggle, then gasp as he suddenly released me. "Get dressed."

I quickly shucked my pajamas and ruined panties before slipping into some clean clothes, choosing a short sleeved shirt and a zip-up hoodie in case I got cold. Which was doubtful since most roads were so clogged with cars that we couldn't go very fast and it was summer time in Georgia so the temps were high. But we were heading into the mountains so it was better to be safe rather than be sorry later when someone ended up sick. Once I was dressed I pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail before twisting it into a bun and wrapping a strip of cloth around it to prevent it from tangling once we got on the road. Then there was nothing left to do so I headed out to find my father and Daryl to get this 'family' meeting over.


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTHING NEW EXCEPT A CHANGE IN BETH'S BIRTH CONTROL IMPLANT INFORMATION...WENT FROM BEING GOOD FOR 4 YEARS TO 3 YEARS. THANKS TO A READER WHO POINTED IT OUT TO ME!**

 **Soooo...as of last night I was starting on chapter 20 but then as I struggled to write it I just didn't like anything I came up with so I deleted 7 chapters and started them over! But this is going so much better than the previously written. With all of that being said, I should be able to continue posting a chapter roughly every other day until I'm caught up (which hopefully doesn't happen). I can see this story being 40+ chapters with each chapter being between 1500-3000 words each.**

 **This was a really hard one to write because so much needed to be explained and I wasn't sure how to get it all in but I finally managed. I'm not 100% content with it but I've decided to just move on and hope it gets the emotions and words across like I have them in my mind.**

 **Thank you to the ones who have hung around for Beth to realize the error of her ways and act like the adult she wants to be treated like.**

 **Now that I've bored you with a bunch of mumbo jumbo here's the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 6**

Spotting my Dad sitting at one of the outside tables talking to Maggie I headed back inside to grab my Barnett so that when it was time to go I wouldn't have to come back inside to grab it. Heading out the other door I spotted Daryl standing beside his motorcycle with his crossbow slung across his back in it's resting position. "Hey, can you make me a sling like that so I can have my hands free when I need them to be?" I asked him as I stepped up beside him.

"Yeah, it won't be hard. I might be able to get it done before we leave." He told me with a nod as he held a hand out for my crossbow. "You talk to your sister and Dad yet?"

I shook my head as I handed over the lightweight crossbow. "Not yet but I'm headed that way. You coming over too?" I asked shifting from foot to foot.

He nodded. "Yeah, in a little bit. You three need some family time first before I join ya." He told me with a wink as he headed off with my Barnett not giving me much choice but to join my family at the table I had spotted them at earlier.

"She's just worried about you, you know." Carol said as she fell into step beside me as I slowly walked towards my father and sister.

"Maybe so but she's got a crappy way of showing it." I told her with a scoff thinking about how she had acted this morning.

Carol reached out and stopped me with a hand to my elbow. "Beth, I understand why you are wanting a more active roll in everything because if I could go back in time I would have train Sophia to protect herself instead of running from the dangers. But you need to understand that your sister is just worried about you, especially after what happened with the Governor."

"I know but I'm not the same naïve little girl I was when y'all first came to the farm." I told her with a shake of my head. "I've seen too much to still be that girl. Too many lives have been lost trying to protect me and I'm sick of it. I want to be able to protect myself instead of just getting people killed all the time." I told her as tears sprang to my eyes as I remembered how my big brother had been bit protecting me in the woods of our farm. "I'm tired of being treated like a fragile little girl." I told her as I grabbed my wrist, rubbing my scar with my thumb.

Smiling kindly at me Carol nodded at me in understanding. "I get that, I do, Beth, but Maggie just worries about you. That's what family does but she's just struggling with how to show it after everything that's happened to her. You both have made mistakes here recently but it's how you go forward that really matters." She told me before patting me on the elbow and taking her leave.

With a deep breath, I headed back inside to ask the older women that had come from Woodbury if they would mind watching the children so their parents could be free to protect and run our home. I found a few of the older women sorting and folding laundry as they chatted amongst themselves. Taking a deep breath I cleared my throat to get their attention and did the responsible adult thing and found a replacement for my babysitting duties. "Thank you." I told them as I walked outside to find Ryan and Rick to let them know that the ladies had agreed to watch the children while they took care of things around the prison. They both smiled at me and thanked me for finding someone for them. With a quick wave I raced to the table where my father and sister both sat watching me with curious eyes. "Sorry, I was getting the little kids squared away before I leave this morning. I just didn't expect it to take me so long." I told them breathlessly as I took a seat between my Dad and big sister.

Maggie actually smiled at me. "I'm glad you took that initiative, Bethy. It really shows me that you are serious about this and not just being a typical bratty rebellious teenager." She told me softly as I took my seat.

Shaking my head I looked at her. "What's a typical teenager look like in this new world we live in, Maggie?" I asked her softly so as to not get into a screaming match with her when we were trying to overcome our recent issues. "Don't you remember what I was like before all of this stuff started happening, Mags? Do you ever remember me being happy doing household chores or being cooped up inside all day?" I asked her as I reached across the table for her hands. "Mags, I was always happiest when I was out in the barn messing around with the animals, helping Otis out in the fields, or helping Daddy in the clinic. Momma always called me her little farm girl."

"I do remember, Bethy. After what happened with the Governor I am just worried about what will happen to you out there. The people left in this world are just plain evil, Beth. You honestly have no idea how bad it can be outside these walls." Maggie told me as her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I never want you to have to go through what I did, Beth. While I am extremely happy that you have found some happiness with Daryl, other people might use you to get things from him or vice versa."

Nodding in understanding. "I get all of that, Maggie, but when the Governor attacked this place I hid while Carl protected me. Carl who is several years younger than me, mind you. I want to be around to see you and Glenn hopefully have kids one day. Maybe have kids of my own when that time comes. Maybe get married. Hell, just live life. But I have to be around for that to even be possible and for that to happen I need to learn how to survive out there and protect myself instead of depending on other people to do it for me. Please understand why I need to do this." I pleaded with her.

"After the kidnapping and attack I lost mine and Glenn's first baby. This world is no place for pregnant women, Beth. Look at what happened to Lori." She told me with a shake of her head.

Slapping my hand to my mouth to hide my gasp at Maggie's admission. "Why didn't you say anything?" I whispered as I scooted around to sit next to my now sobbing sister so I could pull her into my arms and offer her what little comfort I could.

"I didn't want anybody to treat me any differently. The only people that know are Glenn and Michonne. I must not have been very far along because I hadn't started to show yet and once the pains started I just…" She trailed off without having to go into the personal details because our father was sitting at the table watching us with a smile on his face. "I'm trying to be okay though. You just really threw me for a loop with the sudden attitude and shirking a job that everybody thought you liked. And on top of it all you start shacking up with Daryl of all people."

Pulling back from her I held my hands to each of her upper arms as I looked at her closely. "What do you mean 'of all people'? What's your problem with Daryl?" I asked with a frown on my face.

Maggie sighed and shook her head. "I don't have a problem with him per se. It's just that he's not your normal type and he's so much older than you. You've never been overly sexual and now we caught you this morning practically naked in bed with the man."

Scooting back to put a little bit of distance between us while I explained myself to the only sibling I had left in the world was the best for both of us. "You don't anything about my sexual activities, Maggie. I was already having sex before the dead started rising." I told her before turning to my father to see the grimace on his face. "Sorry Daddy, but she needs to hear all of this." I told him before turning back to my sister. "Momma caught me and Jimmy in the barn just a few weeks before this new world came about. I had to go see Dr. Wright to get a birth control implant in so that she and Daddy wouldn't worry about me getting pregnant. She told me it would be hypocritical of her to tell me that it was wrong to have sex out of wedlock when she had had a baby out of wedlock so she just wanted me protected." I told her as I tugged up the short sleeve of my arm before twisting it to show her the small red circle that still remained to this day where my insert had been implanted. "It's good for 3 years and it was just put in a few days before the outbreak."

"Oh. I had no idea." She told me with a shake of her head.

"That's because you aren't my parent, Maggie. You are my sister." I told her as I grasped her hand once again. "I love you but my relationships or sex life is nobody's business but mine and the person I'm sharing my time with." It was just then that I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle which meant Daryl was close. "Age is just a number that doesn't matter anymore. If his age doesn't bother me why should it bother you?"

Daryl slid onto the bench between my father and myself without saying a word. He silently nodded at my father before smirking in my direction. I simply smiled back at him as I slid my hand into his under the table. "Did you get my strap done?" I asked him because I didn't see my crossbow anywhere.

He nodded and pointed to where the motorcycle and truck were parked and I spotted it laying on top of his. "Thanks." I told him as I nudged his shoulder with mine before turning my attention back to Maggie. "I finally found someone who makes me happy, Maggie, like Glenn makes you happy. Why can't you just be happy about that?"

"I can be and I promise to do better. All I ask is don't let sex and feelings get in the way of your survival on this trip or any other time. I've learned my lesson on what that causes and it's not an experience I want for you, Bethy." She told me with a squeeze of our joined hands. "I love you, little sister."

"I love you too, big sister." I told her with a bright smile as she stood from the table leaving us alone with my father who was watching us with a smile on his face. "I thought we said our peace last night, old man?" I teased him which caused Daryl to groan as he apparently recalled the conversation he and my father had after I had went to bed.

My dad nodded and smirked at us. "We did. Just wanted to let you two know that I expect better from y'all than I ever did from Maggie and Glenn when it comes to respect and values." He told us before grabbing his crutches and standing up from the table. "I think it's time we start heading down to the kitchen so you guys can grab a bite to eat and get on the road."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I groaned in frustration as Daryl slowed the bike down once again as we came to a cluster of cars abandoned in the middle of the road. "Is it like this every time you go on a run?" I asked as I climbed off the bike.

He chuckled as he fisted my tiny arms in his hand. "Yeah, are your tiny little arms getting sore from all the pushing?" He asked me with a smirk on his face as Glenn rolled to a stop behind us.

"No. I just never dreamed it would take us two days just to get to these 'magical' cabins Jill goes on and on about every time we stop." I told him with a frown.

"We've never been down these roads before and it's taking so long because the route we mapped out avoids most of the towns, even the tiny ones, along the way." He explained as he squeezed my arm gently one more time. "Why don't you keep watch this time, huh?"

Pulling my Barnett from my back I nodded. "Okay."

Thankfully this time, one of the two cars that we needed to move actually had the keys in the ignition and cranked so the guys only had to physically move one of them before Jill began the process of quickly tossing the cars to look for food, weapons, and medicine. Clothes were scavenged too but the other stuff was more important. Spotting two walkers rambling out of the woods I quickly lined my arrow up with ones eye socket and pulled the trigger, dropping it in its spot while the other kept coming for me slowly but surely.

Sticking my foot in the hold I struggled to pull the bow back because my arms were tired from pushing vehicles all day. Biting my lip, I laid my crossbow down an plucked the knife from my thigh leather sheath and with a kick to the walker's knee I knocked it down to the ground before quickly plunging my knife into his skull. Blowing my hair out of my face I pulled the knife from the walker's head spraying blood all over my boots before reaching for my crossbow and reloading it now that I didn't have walkers coming at me. When I stood back up, the four other people in our scouting party were all smiling and clapping softly at me. Rolling my eyes at them I once again resumed my scan of the area around us. We really were in the middle of nowhere but I could already feel the temperature dropping slightly so I figured we were getting higher in elevation. "Where are we?" I asked Glenn as I handed out the bottles of water from the crate in the back of the truck once they were finished scavenging through the last car.

"We just skirted around Cleveland so if there are no more road blocks we should get to the spot where these cabins are tonight." He told me as he pointed out the spot on the map where the route was drawn out with several X's marked along the route line.

Pointing to the markings I asked the question because my momma always told me that you don't learn the right things if you don't ask the right questions. "What are the X's for?" I asked him once he had swallowed the last drop of his water bottle.

"Spots that could be good for supplies. We are going to try to stop at all of them on the way home because it will be a straight shot back since all the hard work is in the getting there." He told me as he pointed to one of the X's on the map. "They've all got numbers and in the travel notebook we jot down the name of the town it's near and the name of the place if there happens to be any signage."

"That's pretty smart." I told him as I looked around at the group to see if they were ready to get back on the road, I was anxious just standing out in the middle of the open road. "Are we about ready to go?"

"Maggie is the one that came up with the idea, by the way." He told me as he whistled low to get the attention of the others where had been milling around checking the area out while stretching their legs from the long drive. I knew the clock on the dash of the truck wasn't right but almost five hours had passed since we had left this morning and I was ready to just get somewhere for the night. My back and legs let me know that I had been on the motorcycle with Daryl too long for my first time ever being on it. "We ready? Little Miss Archer here is ready to get back on the road." He said nudging me with his elbow causing everybody to chuckle when I stumbled to the side and had to grab the truck to keep myself off my ass.

At Daryl's nod I shoved Glenn in his shoulder and made my way over to him. He surprised me when he cupped my face and pulled me to him for a bruising kiss. Groaning against his lips I clutched the lapels of his vest in my hands as I raised up on my tiptoes to return his surprise kiss. When we broke apart to hoots and hollers of our fellow scout party we couldn't help but smile at each other. "I thought we weren't doing any of that in front of the others? What about being a distraction?" I breathed out as I lowered myself back down to my feet.

He smirked at me before bending down to give me one last peck on the lips. "Couldn't resist after your shit earlier. Who knew that watching your woman conquer two walkers would be so damn sexy?" He said quietly before undoing the jacket around my hips and pulling it up onto my shoulders because it was getting later in the day and we were gaining elevation. "Wrap up."

"Yes sir." I told him as I slid my arms into the sleeves, quickly zipping it up. "Maybe that's why Glenn and Maggie have so much sex everywhere." I mused as we climbed back onto the motorcycle to continue on our journey.

Unfortunately we ran into a helluva mess near a place that held a sign that said 'Mountain View Campground. There was an extended cab truck and a camper that had crashed into a big truck and it was all blocking the road up the mountain. Not to mention the multiple walkers roaming around the area. "Shit." I heard Daryl mutter as he hit the brakes on the bike. "Hold on tight and lean with me." He told me and I closed my eyes and did as he asked as he quickly turned the motorcycle around and sped off to catch Glenn before he got too close to get the truck out of the small hoard of walkers safely.

When Glenn saw Daryl and I racing back towards them he quickly slammed on his breaks and began backing down the road until he spotted an overgrown driveway he could back into to turn around. We headed several miles back down the way we had came before pulling to a stop. "Is there another way around all of that?" Daryl asked Jill and Michonne who knew the area and was manning the map.

Jill was the one to answer with a quick shake of her head. "This is the only road up there unless we backtrack damn near all the way back to Cleveland and come in from the other direction but it's likely we'll find similar things that way."

"Great." Glenn and Daryl both said. "Let's go a few more miles down the road and find a house to hole up in tonight. It needs to be sturdy built just in case that small hoard follows us but the yard and driveway needs to look way overgrown. Okay?" Daryl asked all of us.

I nodded as I squeezed his waist while the three in the truck all nodded. We finally found a house that sat a little bit up the side of the mountain which would make it harder for the walkers to get to us. "Stay behind me." Daryl told me as we approached the house with our crossbows loaded and aimed in front of us. Glenn and Jill both had their knives pulled and ready for use while Michonne pulled her katana from it's sheath on her back.

"We'll clear the yard and check for weal points." Michonne said with a nod to the others and started around the side of the house.

Taking a deep breath I stepped up onto the porch that had seen better days. "Are the houses normally full of walkers?" I asked Daryl softly as we approached the door with alert eyes and ears.

He shook his head as he tested the doorknob and found it unlocked. "It's unlocked so at least we'll have a secure door between us and them." He mumbled softly as he lifted his hand to rap his knuckles against and lifted his ear towards the house. "The noise gets the walkers stirred up inside if there's any in there." He told me in explanation.

"Okay."

"Do NOT leave my side once we go inside." He told me as we finally heard a low growl on the other side of the door. I went to look in the window to see how many there were but he halted me with a hand to my elbow. "They'll see you and bust out the window." He explained with a shake of his head.

"Okay." I said as I nodded and took my place behind him once again. "I'm ready when you are." I told him softly.

I watched his shoulders heave with a deep breath before he turned to look at me. "I'm going to open the door and step to the side. I want you to shoot the first one that comes out and I'll get the next one."

Firming my feet on the porch beneath my feet I nodded for him to go ahead as I got my eye lined up with the sights of my bow. "Go." I told him.

When he yanked open the door the walker stumbled out towards me and I didn't hesitate a single second to put my arrow through the elderly looking walker. Quickly slinging my crossbow onto my back I pulled my knife from it's sheath on my leg as Daryl shot the second walker that followed quickly after the first one. "Leave 'em for now." He told me as he nodded towards the open doorway.

Once we made sure the open living spaces were free of walkers we stood at the entrance to the hallway that was lined with closed doors. "Reload." He told me motioning to my crossbow I had slung onto my back thanks to the strap he had made me this morning.

Quickly reloading my second arrow I nodded at him to start down the hallway. Instead of knocking on the doors he just slung them open as I stood in the doorway. We cleared each room together and finally breathed a sigh of relief as we walked back through the now empty house. "You've done fantastic today, Beth. Your Dad and sister will be so proud when Glenn goes back bragging about you." Daryl told me as we found the back door to the yard and opened it to reveal a blood soaked Glenn and a laughing Michonne. "What's so funny?" Daryl asked her as she sheathed her katana once again.

"She spilled a dead walker over me." Glenn grumped as he headed towards the truck. "There is a surprise in the barn for you though." He called over his shoulder as he pulled his bloody shirt over his head.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The surprise turned out to be a massive hoard of supplies and a note tacked to the foremost box.

 _These supplies were amassed so my family could live peacefully on this mountain but now that my wife and baby daughter are gone I must join them which means that this stuff now belongs to whoever finds it. Good luck._

 _All I ask in return for the home we had created and the supplies we had amassed is to be buried in the plot next to my wife and daughter. The hole is already dug, all you have to do is drag my body over to it, put me in, and cover me up. Please do this for me, I'm begging you. The reason I hung myself on the rope outside the barn doors is so that it would deter people from finding these supplies until the right person got here._

 _Thank you kindly,_

 _James, Marjorie, and Chloe James_

Food. Medical supplies. Weapons. Clothes. Tools. Seeds. And that's just what we could see on top. "What are we going to do with all of this?" I asked Daryl as we stood in front of the barn doors together just taking it all in. There had to be well over 150 wooden and metal crates stacked before us.

"We'll figure that out later. The fact that it remains here still means that nobody but has stopped here since he took his life." He told me as he pulled the barns doors shut and put the chain back in place. "Right now, we've got to come up with a plan to get around that hoard and collision." He muttered as he headed back towards the house.

Inside the house we found a few more surprises. Running water that was cold as hell but still it was running water! A nursery that hadn't been picked over too bad which meant Judith was getting some new clothes, toys, and blankets. Some clothes and shoes that could possibly fit some of the residents at the prison. And a few packages of stale ramen noodles and some old boxes of macaroni and cheese that we planned to have for dinner. "Good day?" I asked Daryl as I watched him start a small fire outside to heat the water for our dinner.

He smiled over at me and nodded. "Yeah, good day."

Once he had a small flame going I grabbed some of the smaller sticks we had collected before we started the fire. "Here." I told him softly. "Are we taking turns with watch tonight?" I asked as I continued handing him sticks as he motioned for them.

He shook his head. "Nah, we're all beat after that drive. With Glenn boarding up the windows and Jill stringing the alarms around we should be okay in the house since there are only the five of us. We need the rest to deal with that blockade tomorrow."

"Do you think the hoard will scatter down this way a little bit with the noise we made earlier?" I posed as he placed a wire rack that had come out of the useless oven over the rocks he had placed around the small fire.

"It's possible and that is my hope. If they would scatter a little bit, the five of us could easily handle them." Placing the pan of water on the rack he finally relaxed back into the grass a little bit, leaning back on his hands.

Reaching over I tugged on his hair that had gotten so long since we had fled the farm and he refused to find the time to let me trim his hair. "Thank you for trusting me today." I told him softly as he turned to look at me.

"That's easy, baby girl. In my eyes, you more than proved yourself capable today." He whispered as he licked his lips as his eyes flickered between my eyes and my mouth.

"Daryl…" I warned as I heard the back door open to reveal Jill with wet hair and clinging clothes because apparently towels were hard to come by in this apocalypse we were living in.

"Daryl, you need any help? I know usually when we go on runs together somebody stands watch." She said with a pointed glare in my direction.

Rolling my eyes at Daryl because she made it seem like they made runs together all the time when this was only the second one. I leaned away from him and stood up. "I'm going to go take my turn in the shower." I told him before walking off.

My shoulders was tense with irritation as I grabbed my roll of clothes that Daryl had brought in after everybody deemed the house suitable for our stay in the mountains and headed for the bathroom down the hall. "Hey Beth, can I talk to you for a few minutes before you use the shower?" Michonne asked from the bedroom she had claimed as her own.

"Sure." I told her as I placed my clothes on the bathroom counter before joining her on the small twin bed she was sitting on. "What's up?"

Placing a hand on my shoulder she smiled kindly at me. "Before we left your sister and Rick asked me to make sure that you and Daryl came back home safely because they thought y'all's feelings would become a distraction." She paused to chuckle lightly to herself. "You two are killing me and Glenn by the way with the chemistry and lust y'all are pumping out. But I have to say that after watching you two on the way up here that they are all worried for nothing. You two have better control than my husband and I did which is why I'm the only one left from my family."

"Thanks I guess. What happened to your family?" I asked as I scooted back on the bed to lean against the wall. Getting to know Michonne on a personal level had never been high on my list of things to do because I was afraid she wouldn't be around very long but my eyes were beginning to see things in a lightly.

She smiled sadly as she mimicked my pose on the narrow bed. "Dominic, my husband, and I were married for just a little over three months when the outbreak started which is why our hormones became our downfall. We were holed up in a house with our little boy, Andre, when a walked stumbled down the stairs and attacked my baby boy while my husband and I had sex in the kitchen and he played in the living room like he had always done. His scream is what caused us to break apart and come running for him but it was too little too late. As my husband picked up our little boy and cradled him against his chest my son took a bite of his father's neck. I had to stick a knife in their heads after I had brutally attacked the walker for attacking my family though it's the only thing they know." She said sadly. "This world isn't conducive to hormones." She said with a shake of her head.

"How old was Andre?" I asked gently.

"Two and a half." She said as she reached into the back pocket of her jeans pulling out a worn photo. "This is the last picture I have of us as a family." She told me as she rubbed the edge of the photo before handing it to me.

In the photo was a tall man with a smiling child sitting on his shoulders with Michonne leaning into his chest. They all three had beautiful smiles on their faces as they looked at one another. "You all look really happy." I whisper as I hand her back the picture.

"We were. This was the day we got married." She choked out as she pressed a kiss to the picture before sliding it back into her pocket. "They are the reason I force myself to get up everyday and fight the evil in this world." She said as a few tears fell down her cheeks.

"You deserve to be that happy again, Michonne. There has to be a reason for us all to keep fighting so damn hard to make a home and survive." I told her as I heard the back door open and Daryl growl at Glenn but it was too low for me to make out. "I've recently discovered my will to live, truly live." I whispered to her as Daryl stomped down the hall, stopping a few feet short of Michonne's bedroom door.

"Beth?" Daryl called out as he came closer.

Michonne rolled her eyes at me as I called out to him. "In here, Daryl." I called out softly.

He pushed the door back open and the stress instantly disappeared from his beautiful face. "I thought you were taking a shower?" He asked softly as he leaned in the doorway.

"And you were going to what? Join me? I'm not the cold water would do your image any good." I told him causing his jaw to drop, Michonne to fall over on the bed in laughter, and Glenn to howl from the living room.

He simply raised an eyebrow at me. "How much you willing to wager on it Greene? I've taken enough cold showers in my lifetime that it doesn't affect my image like it does most boys." He told me cockily which only caused Michonne and Glen to laugh even harder. "You keep making comments like than and your ass is going to be warm enough to protect my image from the tepid temperatures when I get finished with you."

"How about we test that theory out, huh?" I asked him as I stood from the bed and began walking towards him. "How much you willing to wager on it, Dixon?" I asked as I stood just a few inches from him.

Instead of replying he suddenly swooped down and picked me up by his shoulder at my waist causing me to fold in half over his shoulder. "Daryl! Put me down!" I howled at him as I slapped him on the ass.

He ran his hand up my thigh causing me to clench my legs against him before he suddenly pulled it back and smacked my ass. Hard. My face was beet red when he placed me back on my feet in the bathroom. "You asked for it." He said with a shrug of his shoulders as he reached down and tugged my shirt over my head suddenly.

Glaring at him I crossed my arms over my chest. "Just what do you think you're doing, Dixon?"

"Washing Jill's stink off of me and putting your scent _all_ over me so there is no mistaking who's bed I'll be sleeping in tonight." He told me, hanging his head low. "She 'tripped' into my lap while I was stoking the fire and tried to kiss me. She had her hands all over my hair and arms and neck and stuff."

Tugging my shirt from his hand I struggled to get it back on in my sudden anger. Without a word I stormed past Daryl and out of the bathroom, so I could go find the skank who though she could put her hands on what was clearly know as being _MINE._ "Where is she?" I growled to Glenn who simply pointed towards the door.

"Do I need to go finish dinner?" He asked as I yanked open the door with Daryl close on my heels calling my name and begging me to stop. Without saying I word I marched straight out to Jill who was sitting on a stump that Daryl must have put there. "How dare you put your skanky ass hands on him?" I growled to get her attention as I stormed right up to her.

She tilted her head to the side grinning up at me. "Sweetheart, a man like that needs a woman, not a kid with a crush and death wish. How are you liking my leftovers?" She asked with a glance past my shoulder, where I knew Daryl was standing to see what I would do.

Instead of saying anything, I acted my age and clenched my fist and swung it towards her face. Connecting with her nose straight on like Shawn and Maggie had taught me when they were taking boxing and self-defense classes. "GLENN!" Daryl hollered as he wrapped his arm around my waist lifting me off my feet and hauling me back towards the house before I had a chance to hit her again.

"Let me go, Daryl! I'm not _finished_!" I growled as I twisted my body trying to get him to break his hold on me but it was rather pointless because he never broke his stride.

"Oh, yes you are, baby girl. I think she's learned who I belong to now." Daryl chuckled into my ear as he carried me through the door, past a smirking Glenn who was walking out the door with a wet towel in his hands, and straight into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind us.

I was still fuming as Daryl proceeded to strip my clothes off without a word before shoving me into the shower stall. I turned the water on as I watched him quickly yank his clothes off to join me in the smallish shower/tub combo. When he yanked the shower curtain closed he spun me around and slanted his lips across mine as his hands slid down to cup my ass and lift my body up his. I automatically wrapped my arms and legs around his wet and hard form as my fingers slid into his long hair to hold on. "Daryl…" I moaned out as he ripped his lips away from mine and planted them on my neck.

"You have no idea how sexy it was watching you claim me as yours. _You_ are all the woman I need, baby girl." He growled against my neck as his hand reached between our wet bodies, adjusting his erection until it was resting between our bodies, pressing up against my throbbing clit. "I want to fuck you so bad right now." He moaned as he thrust his hips against mine, creating friction for both of us.

Tightening my grip in his hair I pulled his head back so that I could rest my forehead against his. "No." I breathed out and immediately felt him tense in my embrace. When he began easing me from the wall I tightened my grip on his hair to halt his retreat. "I don't want the first time we have sex to be because you are attempting to erase some skanks stench off of you." I growled at him before taking a biting nip from of his bottom lip to entice him to once again continue his attack on my body, but without joining our bodies together.

With a deep throaty growl he latched his lips to mine as he let my legs slide back to find purchase on the bottom of the tub. "Turn around and brace yourself." He told me as he returned the nip to my lower lip before tugging my hands from his hair. "Trust me."

There wasn't a single moments hesitation as I spun around placing my hands, palms flat, to the cool shower wall, allowing the cool spray to land in the middle of my back and run down my lower body. I gasped as I felt Daryl press my legs tightly together before sliding his erection between my thighs, against my aching sex. "Oh God." I moaned out as I hung my head as the head of his dick hit my clit just right.

"I've done told you once that there…" He groaned as he tightened his grip on my hips "…is no God here, just me and you." He said as he pulled his hips back before rocking forward again, his hips slapping against mine as his erection slid through my moisture before stroking against my throbbing clit before pulling back and doing it again. We both groaned at the sensations when a sudden pounding on the bathroom door interrupted us mid-stroke.

"HEY, I DON'T WAN TO HEAR ALL OF THAT!" Glenn called out as he banged loudly on the bathroom door.

Daryl and I both groaned as the moment was broken. Again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

With a heavy sigh I flopped down onto the roof of the camper trailer I had scrambled up onto as we cleared the campground of the remaining walkers. When I got surrounded by walkers Michonne had hollered at me. "Get up on the roof, Beth!"

She saved my life because my arms were shaking from exertion after firing eight arrows from my crossbow and stabbing my knife through the brains of numerous walkers. After hunkering down for a day, we made a group decision to approach the campground and just fight our way through the remaining walkers. Jill had offered to crank up the music in the truck to pull the walkers out of the campground but Daryl and Glenn nixed that idea because it could drawn more walkers up the mountain and she could easily get trapped by them. Daryl and I had rode in the back of the truck, leaving the motorcycle at the house because it made more noise than the truck did. I leaned over the roof to see Michonne slice the heads off of the remaining walkers that were scratching at the camper in an attempt to get to me before grasping the ladder and tugging herself up to me. "Thanks." I muttered as I looked at her tiredly.

"We've got to work on your arm strength when we get back to the prison." She told me as she sat beside me.

I nodded in agreement. "I don't know when I got so weak." I told her with a shake of my head. "I used to toss haybales and life heavy feed sacks all the time on the farm."

"Lack of use. You've been the prison babysitter for months. No offense, but shoving a tire iron through walker skulls through a fence isn't much of a workout." She said with a small laugh. "Daryl's looking for you." She said pointing towards a group of campers to our left.

Rolling over onto my stomach I looked in the direction she pointed and saw Daryl looking around with a worried expression on his face. I scooted myself to the edge of the camper and called out to him softly. "Hey, pretty boy. Up here." He was covered in walker blood, much like I was, from our battle.

His face flickered from relief to irritation at my new nickname for him. During our layover in the house yesterday I had found a pair of scissors and a comb which meant he got a much needed haircut. "You okay?" He asked as he approached the camper Michonne and I were perched on top of.

"Yeah, just got a little overwhelmed and crowded in. Michonne saved the day though." I told him with a nod in our samurai warrior's direction.

"Glenn and I think we found a way around the wreckage, you ladies come check it out." H said with a smirk on his face. "Where's Jill?" He asked once we climbed down from the camper's roof.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I think I saw her ducking inside one of the campers when she got crowded in like I did." I told him with a nod towards our right. "Fourth one down." I told him as I began plucking my arrows from the skulls of the walkers in our surrounding area.

Once all my arrows had been collected we headed towards the last spot I had seen Jill. Daryl knocked on the camper door before stepping back. "It's all clear out here, Jill." He called out just in case she was scared to open the door.

The door swung open but it revealed a guy holding a different kind of bow than the one Daryl and I carried. "Who are you people?" The scraggly looking guy asked as his bounced between the three of us and Jill who I assumed was standing close by.

"These are the people I was telling you about." Jill said quietly from inside the camper.

"Are you here alone or are there others?" Daryl asked as he cautiously lowered his crossbow.

The guy's gaze bounced all around nervously. "I'm the only one left. Please don't kill me. I've been stuck in this camper for almost two weeks alone." He rambled nervously.

"Are you from around here?" I asked him softly.

He nodded. "Yeah, I have lived in Cleveland all my life." He explained softly as he stepped out of the camper and to the side so Jill could come out behind him. "When the outbreak happened, a bunch of us headed up the mountain because it's less populated than down there. We have been holed up here in this campground since then. Mr. Roberts died in his sleep three weeks ago and unfortunately it all went down hill very quickly. None of us knew how to fight them off and in the process of learning they got bit. I've been hunting since I was little boy with a bow so I fought off what I could and then got trapped in here. I ran out of arrows and decided to just wait out my time and pray for a miracle."

"We've got a few questions for you then…"

Once the young man, Jensen, answered our questions it was decided that he would come back to the prison with us but first we needed his help clearing a path to the cabins. With his knowledge of the campground and the people that had once inhabited the area we quickly made a path around the wreckage and got back on the highway. It literally took us 25 minutes to get from the campground to the cabins Jill had been talking about. "You guys are wanting to move in up here?" Jensen asked as we all climbed out of the back of the truck in front of the rustic looking two-story store with our eyes peeled for any walkers.

"Not immediately. We are scoping it out for future use. There are a bunch of us and the place we are currently at is getting a bit crowded plus it's already been attacked once so we are going to use this place for a back-up plan." Glenn told him as we all stood in the parking lot looking around us. "I don't see any cabins, Jill. You sure this is the spot?"

Jensen and Jill both laughed. "They're in the woods. I'm sure the space around them is severely overgrown by now but there used to be trails and a road that led to each of them." Jill said with a smile on her face. "That's why I think thought this would be a good option. Plus, we haven't seen many walkers except at the campground."

"Yeah, but when you put 50 plus people up here, it won't stay overgrown for long. Plus we would have to plant a garden and burn wood nearly year round to stay warm and to cook." Glenn reminded her. "That many people make a lot of noise just in general. It will draw walkers to us."

Jensen cleared his throat before interjecting. "My family and friends have been camped out on this mountain since the outbreak and we've only ever encountered a few of those things. Plus, you can always build blockages in the roads where it's a straight drop off on the other side for extra protection." He said as he fidgeted with the strings of his bow that was different from mine and Daryl's.

"Hmm. That holds real possibilities. Are there any other houses or buildings near here?" Daryl asked as he took out a walker that stumbled from behind the store towards us because of our discussion.

"Just a hostel type place right up the road that the folks walking the trail use and a few other houses scattered around up here. Maybe five or six places total." He said with a nod in the opposite direction that we had come from. "These cabins have been closed for renovations since before the outbreak happened so there shouldn't be a lot of people here, if any." He explained softly with wide eyes. "That was Mr. Meek, the owner of the cabins."

"Okay, enough idle chit chat. Let's get this place cleared so we can get done before dark. Maybe we can find a map inside the store to show us the layout of the property." Michonne said as she pulled her katana from her back striding towards the store.

Knocking on the wooden door drew the single walker to the noise which Daryl quickly took out with a single fire of his crossbow. "That's Mrs. Meek, by the way." Jensen muttered as Glenn grabbed her by the arm to pull her out of our way.

Looking around the bottom floor of the cabin my eyes grew wide and held so many possibilities. "You look like a kid in a candy store but they ain't no candy here." Daryl said as he bumped my shoulder.

With a giggle I walked over to where a bunch of old antiques were displayed in a museum style fashion with plaques naming each one and how it was used. "These are amazing." I whispered as I ran my fingers over the antique wood burning cast iron cook stove. "We could actually have a stove to cook on again, Daryl. Which means we can cook without the noise of a generator or having to scavenge for gas!" I told him as I lifted the hatch that led into the wood box. "And it looks to be in mint condition." I whispered as I fell in love with this place.

"You know about this stuff?" He asked as I walked past the stove to check out the other things.

My cheeks heated up. "Yeah, my mom and I used to love going to antiquing." I admitted as I twisted the hand on the old table mounted grinder. "These could be used for grinding things up such as spices, vegetables, meats, and whatever else."

"Hm. You never cease to suprise me. Let's go see if we can find a map. The others are clearing the upstairs." He said tugging me away from the beautiful antiques with a tug on my elbow.

I was sad to leave the wonderful find but we had more important things to do than gawk at old things. "I'll check behind the counter if you want to check the office." I told him pointing to a door that was labelled 'office' behind the counter.

"Sounds like a plan."

Rummaging through the papers on the shelves beneath the counter I sat the things that I thought would be useful on the top. "Hey, Daryl!" I called into the office as I pulled something he would appreciate from a back corner of the shelf.

"You find it?" He asked from beside me.

"Nope, something better though." I told him as I held up the carton of cigarettes marked defective. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "Now who's the one looking like a kid in a candy store when there ain't no candy." I teased as I handed him the carton along with a lighter I found lost beneath a stack of papers.

Daryl took the carton and ran it beneath his nose, inhaling deeply before a beautiful smile spread across his face. "These are like gold, nowadays." He whispered as he bent down cupping my face and planting a kiss to my smiling lips. "You're amazing and beautiful and mine." He growled as he pulled back a tiny bit before pressing a kiss to my forehead as he stood up. "Now, let's find that map because I have a sudden urge to rip your clothes off."

"Maybe tonight, if you're lucky." I told him with a wink.

"Luck ain't got nothin' to do with it, baby." He returned my wink as he walked back into the office.

Leafing through every single piece of paper behind the counter I finally found a hand drawn map with the store's label on it. "Found it!" I called out loudly so the ones upstairs could hear me. This place was huge just by the sheer amount of buildings!

Jensen clomped loudly down the stairs which caused Daryl to groan and shake his head. "I haven't been up here in years but I heard they had added some more cabins to the place. How many are there now?" He asked as he came over to the counter where I had the map spread out.

Counting the little squares on the page I smiled. "14! How big are they?" I asked him as we waited for Michonne, Glenn, and Jill to join us.

"The old ones all had one bedroom, bathroom, a good sized loft upstairs, and an open living room, dining room, and kitchen." He said with a nod of his head. "Oh, and they all have pretty good sized raised decks." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

I could feel the possibilities that this place could offer us roll around in my head and grow with each new discovery. "That's really good." I said with a smile as I watched Glenn walk in through a door at the far end of the open store space. "Find anything good?" I asked him when he got close enough. He was the last one to make an appearance.

He nodded with a huge smile. "All kinds of things."

"Like?" Michonne asked as she sheathed her katana again.

With a shake of his head he turned to the map on the counter. "Later. Let's get this place cleared out first."

So that's what we done. Ever single one of the cabins was filled with nothing but a whole lot of dust. "This place is amazing, Daryl." I told him as I swirled our names through the dust on the kitchen table. "Our names look good together." I told him as I circled it all in a heart, showing my age.

He stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and resting his chin on my shoulder. "I like the look of that." He whispered in my ear. "Would this be our cabin if we come here?"

Turning around in his arms I wrapped my arms around his neck, sinking my fingers through the locks. "Why do we have to wait for disaster to strike to come here? If we moved up here right now, we could transplant our garden and still create a massive haul to get us through the winter months. With a little research we could learn to live off the earth and actually be able to live instead of struggle to survive." I told him anxiously.

He slid his hands down my back until he palmed my butt before gripping my cheeks and lifting me up and setting me on the table beside our heart scrawled names. "It's not just up to us, Beth, you know that. Let's go back to the prison and explain how amazing this place is and what it can become to everybody. Then we'll take a vote."

With a sigh I nodded. "That's fair. I just really think this place has more opportunities than the prison does. Plus it's safer, if you ask me."

"I agree. Now shut up and kiss me before the others start searching for us." He growled against my lips as he grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth tugging on it until I pulled him to me with a growl.

We were so engrossed in each other that we didn't hear the foot steps leading up to the front door or the door opening. "Whoa! Will you two cut that shit out!?" Glenn exclaimed as he came into the room.

Daryl and I pulled away with a chuckle. Turning to Glenn I shrugged and smirked at him. "This is payback for all those times you and Maggie were caught." I said with a smile as I placed my hands on Daryl's chest I pushed him back so I could hop from the table. "What's the plan now? Head back to the house for the night?"

"Michonne and I think it's a good idea to go check out the road in the other direction for a few miles. Get an accurate count of properties within a couple miles from here and make sure they're all vacant." Glenn said as we walked up the road to meet up with the rest of our group.

"Sounds like a plan."

 **The cabins are real, the town is real, the campground is real. I'm sure there is a house along the road (Highway 129/19) that could be used but I just made one up.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The hostel was about a quarter mile down the road and had a grand total of six walkers in it which we quickly took care of before looking around the interior of the old stone building. "This could be useful if we ever run out of room down at the cabins." I said looking around at the room interior. It had all the modern appliances which were completely useless since electricity when the world went crazy but a huge wood stove stood in the center of the room.

"True. It's stood the test of time and should remain standing for years to come." Michonne said as she headed down the hallway. "Plus, there are lots of rooms back here if we happen to come across new people in the future just in case they are truly crazy."

"Like the woman that wanted to cut Rick up and feed him to her dead husband?" Glenn asked with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded as we all followed her and checked out the bedrooms, bathrooms, and extra living space. Jensen and Jill just looked at each other before following us with wide eyes. The place was absolutely massive and would serve us well if we ever needed it. "Okay, let's go see if we can find any other houses down this way." I said as I lead the way back out the front door.

Driving for a total of six miles and we saw absolutely nothing except trees and mountain drops and rises. "We could just fall some trees across the road somewhere along her to stop the occasional walker and humans." Daryl suggested pointing to some of the big trees up on the edge of the small rock edge that lined one side of the road.

"I would like to think that there are still good people in the world and if they need a sanctuary we can offer it to them, not make them walker food." I told them causing them all to chuckle. "I'm serious. While I would never let them into our actual cabin area, maybe we could use the hostel as a trial and error type of thing."

Everybody nodded in agreement as Glenn maneuvered the truck around in the road so we could head back the other way. We found a grand total of five homes and 18 walkers within 6 miles of either direction of our escape plan oasis. "This is really a better option than the prison. Especially with us already having been attacked there once and struggling with the fence because we are out in the wide open." I told the group as we rode back to the house down the mountain with the mountain of supplies in it that we had decided to not touch so we would have some supplies to get us started if we ever came up here to live. Getting started in a new place is always the hardest.

ll told us about and it had maybe 20 walkers in there which our group took out with some strategic maneuvering but everybody walked away unharmed. "If we ever need it this building could be useful." Glenn said looking around at the small building before climbing back in the truck. The only reason nature hadn't taken over this building was because of the metal roof and the fact that it was made of rocks.

Once back at the house we scrounged up a quick dinner of stale crackers, old cans of baked beans, and some box macaroni and cheese. With my stomach full I took a quick shower before collapsing onto the bed that Daryl and I had claimed our first night here. I was asleep instantly on to be woke up by Daryl as he pulled me back against his bare chest. "Hmm…you're so warm." I moaned as I buried my cold nose into his warm chest. "And you smell so good." I moaned out as I placed a kiss to the center of his chest.

"Showering for a few days in a row will do that to a person." He told me with a soft chuckle. "As well as some deodorant.

Lifting my head I placed a nipping kiss to his chin. "I kinda don't want to go back to the prison." I muttered softly. "I think we could do so much better up here."

"It is kind of nice up here, isn't it?" He asked as he tightened his arms around my back. "Peaceful and relatively safe."

"Mhmm. If only we didn't have so many house guests." I muttered irritably.

He chuckled as he scooted us around in the bed until he was lying flat on his back with me sprawled across his chest. "Listen and you'll hear something that's going to change your mood instantly." He told me as he placed a finger to my lips. Straining my ears I heard the faint sounds of someone moaning. Make that two someones. There was only one person who would do something like that. Jill.

"That's disgusting. She just met him today." I said with a shake of my head.

He nodded in agreement. "Which is why I had to be stupid drunk to even unzip my pants for her. And that was just so Merle would shut up and leave me alone. I had been turning her down for weeks."

"I don't like the fact that she's had her hands on you." I grumbled into his chest. "That she knows what you look like with your clothes off."

Daryl pulled on my bent knee until I was laying on top of his chest. "You, woman, are the only one who I have ever allowed to touch me so freely. And she's damn well never seen me without my clothes on. I fucked her from behind with her hands pinned to the wall. Hell, my clothes never even came off, I just unzipped my pants and slid in."

I shuddered at the image that popped into my head. "That's still gross." I told him as I raised up with my hands on either side of his head. "I really like this place up here, Daryl. It's so much better than at the prison. We all need to sit down once we're back there and have a serious talk about relocating all of us."

"I know, baby, I know." He told me as he reached up tugging my face down to his. "Less talking, more kissing. Please. Let's see who can make the biggest ruckus." He whispered against my lips and who was I to deny the man anything.

Our lips had barely met when we heard yelling coming from the living room. Glenn. "KNOCK THAT SHIT OFF! WE HAVE A HOUSEFUL OF PEOPLE HERE AND NOBODY CARES ABOUT LISTENING TO YOU TWO HAVE SEX. IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SEX, AT LEAST BE QUIET AND GET IN THE FUCKING FLOOR!"

Daryl and I rolled around the bed as we tried to muffle our laughs but they were renewed all over again when we heard a crash and a groan with Glenn telling them he was not playing.

The laugh was need because the next morning we started our journey towards the prison.

Poor Jensen looked like he was about to piss down both pants legs when he climbed from the back of the truck and several guns and sniper rifles were aimed in his direction. After Maggie, Carol, Rick, and my Dad talked to Jensen he was welcomed into the fold easily. The weeks following our scouting trip was spent making sure that everybody had a copy of a map with the route marked out in case it was ever needed. Despite mine and Daryl's pleading to head to the mountain cabins before they were actually needed, the majority vote was to stay put in the place that was already established with extra people clearing the fences all day long. So instead of leaving for what a few of us considered a safer option we planned for a worst case scenario, which was inevitable. We set up vehicles at various houses with gas in the tanks and keys hidden in specific spots along with supply of bottles of water, some food, a crude first-aid kit, and a map to the cabins.

My training was kicked up a few notches and I was excited when Michonne, Sasha, and Maggie all joined Daryl in getting me stronger. Being able to wake up curled around Daryl's warm body made the exhausting days worth it along with the fact that I could feel myself getting stronger. Since our return, Jill thankfully had moved on from Daryl and was now making her claim on Jensen known throughout the whole prison.

What thought to be just a normal summer cold turned out to be a virus that wiped out over half of the prison's population and resulted in the deaths of over half of our population and I couldn't help but think that it was because we were all living in such close quarters. We were just taking our first breath of fresh air from the epidemic when a large hoard of walkers pretty much walked right through our gates creating chaos. People were screaming which caused the walkers to swarm in their direction, others were wildly firing their weapons hitting people and walkers alike. Daryl quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me from the chaos and to the motorcycle. "Hold on." He screamed at me as he twisted the handle and sent us flying in a wild game of duck and dodging the walkers as we high tailed it from what had been our home. We didn't speak a single word until we pulled up to one of the escape plan houses.

"Do you think anybody else made it out alive?" I asked as I climbed off to lift the garage door so he could walk the motorcycle inside.

"I'm sure they did. I saw people getting on to the bus as I searched for you. Plus, our family aren't known to be slackers. They will find us. If not here then at the cabins in a few days."

"Thank you." I whispered to him as I pushed the door back down, secluding us inside the small garage where a truck already waited for us to use to get to the cabins.

It wasn't until it got dark and we decided to call it a night that my sobs finally came. "Baby…" Daryl said softly as he curled up behind me, pulling me into his chest.

"I'm worried my Dad didn't get out of there and we just left him." I whimpered as I rolled over to bury my face in his warmth.

He stroked soothing hands up and down my back attempting to calm my emotions and worries down. "Hershel has already survived one walker bite, I'm sure he made it out just fine. Let's just think that everybody is still alive until we know for sure that they're not. Okay?"

I nodded in agreement to his words. "That's easier said than done. He was the humanity of this group, Daryl, so what's going to happen to us if he's not around to do that? He kept everybody humble and honest."

"That he did, but you know, he instilled all those same qualities in you and Maggie. I think the two of you could make those cabins and mountain into something we could all be proud enough to call it home." He told me softly.

With a shake of my head my tears renewed once more, this time from the pure joy I felt at the amount of trust and faith Daryl had in me and my sister. I'm not sure how long Daryl held me close, murmuring about what the cabins in the mountain could mean to us, but eventually my eyes slid shut and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

A frantic knock on the door that lead to the garage yanked me from my slumber. Daryl was quicker than me and raced up the hallway and into the kitchen. As I yanked on my boots I heard voices coming down the hallway. "Bethy?! You up? Daryl said you were back here!" I heard my sister call out and, with one boot on and the other in my hand I ran out of the room and down the call. We collided as tears poured down our faces in excitement and relief. "I'm so glad I found you." Maggie whispered against my hair as we hugged each other tightly in the middle of the hallway.

"Who's with you? How did you get away? Is Glenn with you?" I fired the questions rapidly as I pulled back to give my sister a once over.

She pulled back from me and did the same to me before meeting my eyes. "He was on the bus when it left. Hopefully they made it to a house without incident. I've got faith in him that he will meet us at the cabin as planned." She told me as she cupped my face in her hands. "Sasha and Bob are with me but Bob's been shot. Think you can patch him up?"

"Isn't Bob an army medic? Why can't he talk Sasha or you through patching him up?" I asked as we headed towards the living room with our arms linked between us.

Maggie smiled at me. "We wrapped it up but we're scared we will do more harm than good and he can't very well talk us through it when he's in so much pain. You are the next best option since you spent so much time helping Daddy out in the clinic."

"That's with animals, Maggie. Bob is not an animal." I told her as I shoved her playfully. On my way to the front rooms I sent up a silent 'thank you' to whoever was listening for bringing me my sister back.

When I entered the living room Daryl had one of the oil lanterns lit as he and Sasha helped Bob get his shirt off. "I got the first aid kit." Daryl told me as he stepped out of the way so I could take over.

"Thank you." I told him with a smile as I sat down on the coffee table in front of Bob. "You gonna survive?" I asked him as I looked at the bloody bandage on his shoulder.

Bob grunted as I began unwrapping the bloody bandage. "You are going to have to help me through this, okay?. As I reminded Maggie, you are not an animal and I was always horrible at the game operation."

"That's not funny, Beth." He grunted as I tossed the bloody bandage to the side. "First thing you need to do is feel around the bones and see if they were hit or missed." He ground out before sticking a stick in between his teeth and biting down on it hard.

Taking a deep breath I followed his grunted directions in checking, cleaning, and dressing the wound while he lay panting and sweating on the couch from exertion. "Good job." He breathed out before his body slumped to the side. Passing out from the pain.

"Let's get him to the room to lay down." Daryl told Sasha and Maggie who helped him carry Bob to the first bedroom down the hall while I cleaned my hands up with the last bit of water from the water bottle I had used to clean Bob's shoulder wound. He was lucky because the bullet, while a clean through and through, had been high enough on his shoulder to miss the bones completely. "You doing okay?" Daryl asked as he stepped up behind me, placing his hands on the counter on either side of me.

I nodded as I used a strip of an old curtain to wipe the rest of the blood and water off my arms. "I think so."

"Good. Why don't you go lay down with Maggie? She's in the master bedroom." He told me as he placed a kiss to my shoulder.

Spinning around to face him, I cupped his face in my hands. "Isn't that where _we_ were sleeping before they showed up?"

He nodded but placed another gentle kiss to the tip of my nose. "Yeah, but your sister needs you and I think you need her too. I'll be right there on that couch when you wake up in the morning."

Lifting up on my toes I pressed a quick kiss to his lips because he was just so damn sweet and thoughtful of the needs of everybody around him. "I could easily fall in love with you, Daryl Dixon."

"Don't start talking crazy, woman." He told me with a smirk before giving me another quick kiss. "Let's get some sleep."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"We need to find a library." I told the group as I scribbled ideas for when we got to the cabins down into a notebook I had found in one of the houses down the street. While the houses around this area had been picked over by us and others; we had been on the hunt for a change of clothes for all of us not basic survival items. Bob had stayed at the house to let his body rest while the 'lady folk' as he called it grabbed up some backpacks and headed out to 'shop' as we playfully called it. Daryl had taken to the woods behind the house to hunt us up some meat for dinner so we could make our small rations stretch to accommodate all of us. We had all been fruitful in our hunts. After a quick splash in the creek that ran through this area we all felt refreshed and ready for our road trip to the cabins tomorrow.

Daryl looked at me strangely. "Planning on having a lot of spare time to read in the near future?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, smartass, I was wanting to find some books on edible plants, medicinal herbs, homesteading, and stuff like that. Maybe some recipes that we can cook up using the flowers and stuff all around us. We are going to die an early death if we keeping that crap out of the cans." I told him as I shoved his knee with my sock clad foot. "And having some books around to read wouldn't be a bad thing. Maybe find some more fairytales for you to read to Judy." I said without thinking of the others in the room.

Everybody in the room turned to look at me with wide eyes. "Do you think she made it?" Maggie asked softly.

With a heavy sigh I laid my pencil down and shrugged. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I know my expectations are unrealistic but I really hope all of our original crew makes it. I hope Daddy made it. The Woodbury bunch just didn't want to learn to fight the walkers so I'm not too confident that they will make it outside of the prison walls."

"That's true. I tried to get them to learn how to use a gun and a knife but all they were interested in was doing the household chores around the prison." Sasha chimed in from her spot on the floor next to Bob's chair. "Which is how Bob ended up getting shot."

"Sasha, do you and Bob want to share a cabin once we get up the mountain?" I asked curiously because I had been thinking about cabin assignments since we had found them over two months ago and I was fiddling with them on a different page in my notebook but it was hard because we didn't know who had made it and who hadn't. I watched as she tipped her head back to look at Bob who smiled down at her before she returned his smile. "I'm going to take that as a yes." I chuckled.

We all laughed at the shyness that came over Sasha at being the center of attention but she quickly deflected it back to me. "Can we all assume that you and one Mr. Dixon are going to be sharing a cabin too?"

Looking over at Daryl I saw the blush on his cheeks but his hair hid it from everybody else as he was bent forward whittling some makeshift arrows. "Absolutely." I said with a firm nod. "I think we'll make pretty decent roommates, don't you Daryl? Plus we've had ours picked out since we scouted the place. Our names are written in the dust."

He looked over at me with a scowl on his face which caused us all to laugh again.

"Do you have any ideas on how to make this place somewhere we can stay indefinitely?" Bob asked me as he rested his good hand on Sasha's shoulder.

I nodded and began sharing some of my ideas and asking them about theirs, scribbling everything down in the notebook in my lap. By the time we went to bed we had a decent list. And a separate list of places we were going to need to raid for supplies on our way to the cabins tomorrow.

"Whoever thought we would need to raid an antique store and a library for survival equipment?" Daryl huffed out as he stood up to stretch his back. They were high on the list though we had a pretty decent head start with the things already at the mountain store.

We all laughed at his putout demeaner, but we knew it was all in jest because he had really been impressed with our ideas. "Where else are you going to find stuff to cook and use that doesn't take electricity or gas? We get to go back the ancient times, pretty boy." I told him with a wink. "Oh and we need to keep an eye out for some goats, sheep, and chickens. Though turkey's will be okay too. Maybe some pigs or cows if we're lucky. And a horse if we're just stacked with luck." I told them as I continued to scribble in my notebook. What nobody except Daryl really knew was that my momma and I used to go antiquing every Saturday while my daddy was busy on the farm.

"Where the hell we gonna find those at?" Maggie said, bursting out laughing. "The walkers eat everything that moves and animals tend to make a lot of noise."

I shrugged. "Maybe we'll get lucky like we did with the animals at the prison."

Daryl pressed a kiss to the top of my head as he walked past me. "I'm gonna go check to make sure the area is clear for the night, crazy girl."

"Okay." I said distracted by scribbling in my newfound notebook as the light quickly began fading on our last evening in the escape plan house.

When Daryl stomped back into the house I quickly yanked my gaze to his because he was normally so quiet you never knew when he entered a room. "Look who I found." He said with a smirk on his face as two people trailed in behind him looking worn out and ragged. Jensen and Jill.

"Hey guys." Jensen said with a smile as he helped Jill into one of the kitchen chairs. "I didn't think we was going to make it here before you guys left in the morning." He said as he all but collapsed into the other chair.

Jill huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not as if I planned on spraining my ankle while dodging bullets and the dead."

Jensen cut his eyes at her. "Maybe not but if you would've actually picked up a gun maybe you could have saved some lives in the process." He snapped at her. I think this was the first time I had ever heard them 'fight'.

Apparently the honeymoon was over.

I closed my notebook and laid it on the coffee table while Maggie, Sasha, and Bob watched my movements closely as I walked into the kitchen. The story of me socking Jill in the nose had quickly made its rounds once Michonne was turned loose. "What's done is done and we are all moving forward from it. I'm glad you guys were able to make it here in time. Have you seen anybody else?" I asked them as I split a bottle of water between them. We were beginning to run low but we would be leaving in the morning so it would be okay, there was a mountain stream at the cabins so the water shortage was a short term problem.

Jill huffed as she shook her head. "No, I was too busy trying to stay alive."

"Go figure, selfish bitch." Sasha mumbled from the living room. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as I looked towards Jensen.

"I saw Carl, Rick, and Michonne limp off together. I think Rick was shot in the leg because he was leaning on Carl and Michonne pretty heavily." Jensen said as he guzzled down his half of the water before handing me the bottle back. Water bottles were important so we could use them to refill later.

Bob grunted from his chair. "Those are some tough folks, they'll make it. I bet you we will see everybody tomorrow at the cabins."

We all nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything to eat?" Jill asked in an annoyed voice.

"Nope, sorry. We didn't think anybody else was coming since it's almost dark so we split what was left." Maggie said as she walked into the kitchen to collect all of our water bottles and take them out to vehicle we would be leaving in tomorrow morning.

Jill huffed as she slowly got to her feet. "Where am I sleeping?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.

I stepped up close to her. "You sure you really want to stay in this house with all of us? Because you act like you would rather be anywhere but here, so don't let any of us stop you from leaving." I told her softly before cocking my head to the side. "After everything we've done for you, you could show a little gratitude. You wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for us." I sneered before stepping back and taking a calming breath when Daryl laid a hand on my shoulder as he leaned against the edge of the counter. "Your room is at the end of the hall to the right." I told her with a nod of my head.

"Thanks." She muttered before limping out of the kitchen and down the hall.

The entire room breathed a sigh of relief when the door clicked closed behind her. I stepped around Daryl and grabbed the last can of pears we were saving for breakfast and the less than half a sleeve of crackers sliding them onto the table in front of Jensen. "Eat up." I told him softly as I squeezed his shoulder in sympathy for dealing with his travel companion for the past few days. "I know she's a handful but I think she's just scared. If that's any consolation."

"And we're not?" Jensen asked as he opened the can of pears using his pocket can opener.

The entire room nodded at his question. "Some of us handle stressful situations better than others." I told him as I headed to the garage to find my sister. "Do you know where the library is in Cleveland? I need to pick up some books to learn about the plant life that grows in the mountains." I asked as I took the chair that Jill had vacated.

He nodded around a mouthful of pears and crackers. "Yeah. There's a visitor's center at the bottom of the mountain that may have some stuff you could use too."

"I never thought about that. We'll try there first to avoid town if at all possible." I told him with a smile. "Since you're from the area, know where we might be able to find a goat, some chickens, possibly a cow, and some sheep?" I asked with a serious expression because having those animals could make our lives a whole lot easier. "Though turkeys have eggs too so they can work in place of chickens." I muttered as an afterthought.

Jensen chuckled at my enthusiasm. "There are a few farms in the area that I could show you."

"Great!" I said as I jumped up from the chair heading out to the garage to tell Maggie the good news.

That night Jensen offered to sleep in the room with Jill, so it would free up the couch for Maggie who told Daryl that he could have his snuggle buddy back. "I'm not that bad." I grumped as we all got ready for bed.

Daryl chuckled as he cupped my cheeks in his rough palms. "Baby girl, you act like a spider monkey soaked in super glue once you are asleep." He whispered against my lips.

I shoved him away playfully as Maggie fell on the couch laughing. "That is an accurate description." She agreed with Daryl.

"Y'all suck." I told them as I headed down the hall to the bedroom.


	12. Chapter 12

**Been trying to post this chapter for 2 days but the site was being idiotic. So now to treat y'all for Christmas and for your patience you get 2 CHAPTERS!**

 **Chapter 12**

"Stop!" I screeched as I saw a blue sign that caught my attention in the small blink and you miss it town we were currently driving through.

Daryl slammed on the brakes causing everybody in the truck to groan. Instead of wasting gas, Daryl and Jensen had loaded the motorcycle up into the back of the extended cab truck and strapped it down for safe keeping. "What's wrong?" He asked looking all around the deserted streets that were surprisingly clear of walkers.

"There's a library down there." I told him pointing at the blue sign. "Can we please stop and see if I can find the books I need? I haven't seen any walkers."

Sasha and Maggie chuckled from the backseat while Jill grumbled from her spot in the bed of the truck with Jensen and the motorcycle. "She's a determined spitfire, that's for sure." Bob joked as he shifted in his seat between my sister and Sasha.

"We've got to be quick, Beth." Daryl said as he guided the truck around the debris in the road to get us as close to the library as possible.

"This town looks practically deserted." I commented as I looked around the area, not seeing a single walker stumbling around. "Maybe the people all holed up in one place like that one little town did we went through before the prison." I muttered to myself as I gripped my crossbow just in case as Daryl parked the ride and turned the ignition off.

Everybody climbed out and aimed their weapons in front of them. "Let's go." Daryl said as he guided us to the library doors that were surprisingly unlocked. "Eyes alert folks, we all want to get out of here in one piece." He murmured as he opened the first set of door to reveal another set that he knocked on. And we waited in the small foyer, our breathing loud in the tiny space.

When no growling sounds met our ears we headed into the small town library. Sliding my crossbow onto my back I headed for the old style reference card box to locate what I need while the others perused the aisle for general reading materials while I searched for what I needed.

We found some boxes full of old files in the office that we used to pack full of books. I filled two boxes with books on homesteading, gardening, edible plants, medicinal plants, survival guides, and anything I though might come in handy in the process of making the mountain work for us. The whole trip took us less than an hour according to the clock on the dash of the truck. We crammed the nine file boxes of books into the bed of the truck while I kept a few up front with me so that I could flip through them along the way. As I flipped through them I was amazed at how much stuff that just grew wild and really considered weeds could be really useful. I had really lucked out and found a book that had recipes in it for both food and poultices. "Did you know that you can make coffee from ground up dandelions?" I asked out loud, not speaking to anyone in particular.

"Are you serious? I wonder if it's any good." Maggie said as she leaned her head against the door frame. "I miss coffee so much."

Sasha chuckled. "I was never much of a coffee drinker myself. I preferred teas."

"We can make that too with a bunch of different plants and water." I told her with a smile tossed over my shoulder.

"Got any recipes for natural pain relievers or antibiotics? Sure could use one right about now." Bob groaned.

Wrinkling my forehead I looked at him. "I haven't found one yet but I'll keep looking. You could always take a pain pill."

"No." He said quickly with a grimace on his face. "I don't want to chance it."

"Okay." I whispered before turning back to my books.

Maggie leaned forward placing a hand on my shoulder. "You are amazing, Bethy. I hope you know that." She whispered to me. "Daddy and Annette would be so proud of you.

I shook my head. "Not really, just tired of eating crap that could possibly kill me. We've got to figure out something because eventually all the food from before is going to be gone or too bad to eat." I told her as I opened another book.

"I agree completely. Maybe you can really make this work for all of us, Bethy. You have more of Daddy in you than I ever did. I was never content on the farm or working at the clinic, but you were." She said before squeezing my shoulder and sitting back in her seat.

Something suddenly caught my eye. "Bob, I think I found something we can use but I'll have to go find the plant first." I told him softly as I turned around in my seat to check on him. "I look as soon as we get to the cabins."

"Okay, thanks Beth."

"No problem." I told him as I turned back to my books trying to not think about the very real possibility that my father could be dead, like my mother and brother were.

Before I realized it we were driving around the deserted campground where we had found Jensen. "Home sweet home." He murmured from the back of the ride.

Turning sideways in my seat I looked back at him. "What did you do before the turn Jensen?" I asked him curiously because it wasn't something people often talked about because we had all changed since the world had changed on us.

"I was a truck driver. When I first got word of the outbreak I was in Alabama. I immediately dropped my load and hightailed it home which is when me, my folks, and a lot of the townsfolk decided to come up the mountain where it was less crowded." He said with a sad glance towards what was left of their campsites. "We were actually planning a major run to some distribution facilities about two and a half hours from here just on the other side of the South Carolina border."

That piqued everybody's attention. "Trust me, from personal experience, raiding huge warehouses aren't worth the risks they present."

Jensen nodded. "Yeah, that's what kept us from loading in my truck that is parked at my old house and going. None of us were strong enough fighters to be able to fight off a hoard that may be holed up in a huge space like that. Those the warehouses I'm talking about are in really remote areas, about five miles from each other."

"It's something to consider, for sure. Let's get to the cabins and see who else shows up before we make any decisions." Daryl said to which we all nodded in agreement. My head was spinning with the possibilities that a massive run like that could present to us as a community was just starting up. If I could get my hands on the herbs and plants listed in the books I had in my lap then we would be fine for years to come. Some store bought spices would be nice too but not required as I could learn to use nature's spices. I had a whole book on how to do it and was eager to learn. Plus we had all those crates at the house down the mountain and the packed store room at the mountain store which both held a lot of promise also. We would have to go get that stuff pretty soon because would need immediate access to medical supplies and food because even though we could eat and survive off the earth, it would take some setting up and time before we would be completely self-sustaining. I was almost certain our first several weeks here would be spent making runs to get all the stuff we would need for the long term.

When Daryl rounded the last bend in the road I couldn't help but smile and bounce a little in my sight that greeted me. Vehicles, our vehicles, parked in the driveway and along the edge of the road. Which meant only one thing. Our people had survived and was waiting just inside the store as was planned. We all scrambled from the ride as soon as Daryl shoved it in park and raced for the store door but we were met halfway by flying bodies. Glenn collided with Maggie. Carol collided with Daryl. Michonne and Carl collided with me. Rick shook Jensen's hand before pulling him into a hug while Jill stood to the side watching our group embrace. Tyrese swung Sasha around before embracing Bob.

Eventually Rick led us all into the store where I instantly spotted four strange people sitting at one of the tables in the room.

"Who are they?" Maggie asked as soon as she spotted them.

Glenn spoke up from his spot in a chair. "They helped free me and Hershel from the bus when one of the Woodbury people turned from a bit and began biting the others." He said but paused as a sad look crossed his face. "I'm sorry but your dad got bit on the side when the driver crashed the bus causing it to roll."

I cried out as I heard his words and Daryl picked me up into his arms carrying me back out the front door. "It's going to be okay, baby girl. Glenn wouldn't have let him suffer." He whispered to me as he sat me down on the hood of a car.

"He's gone, Daryl, he's gone." I cried into his shoulder.

Daryl ran his hands up and down my back as I cried into his shoulder. "I know, baby, I know. But he would want you to go on living in his memory. Let's make this place amazing, in his memory."

With a deep inhale I sniffled and raised my head up from his shoulder. "Okay, yeah, I can cry tonight but there is shit that has to be done while it's still daylight outside."

With his hands on my hips he helped me slide off the car and head back inside the store that I hoped to turn into a useable kitchen since the stove was already in there. "I'm sorry." I muttered to the room as Daryl and l leaned against the counter.

Maggie stood up from her spot in Glenn's lap and pulled me into a tight hug as we silently mourned the loss of our father. "We've got this." I whispered into Maggie's ear.

She nodded and pulled back. "We've got each other." She whispered with a sad smile.

Rick cleared his throat as he looked around the room. "I know everybody is tired and dealing with a lot but we have something urgent to talk about." He pointed to the three strangers in the room. "This is Abraham and Rosita who are on a government mission to escort Dr. Eugene Porter to Washington, D.C." Rick said pointing to each person in turn. "Eugene says he has the key to making the cure to save the world and it is there mission to get him to where he needs to be. Abraham has asked if we would accompany him on this mission but I told him I didn't answer for everybody and that it will be a group decision. I know you are tired and worn out from the past few days but we need to make a decision quickly so they can get back on the road. Why don't you take a few minutes and talk it over?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Our group was divided. Rick, Tyrese, Sasha, Bob, and Maggie thought it was a good idea to help the guy that claimed to be a doctor get to D.C. while the rest of us wanted to stay put and work on making the cabins sustainable. "I don't care if y'all go or not, I'm staying put. Right here. Now, if you'll excuse me there's a lot of work to do around here before winter hits and I'm going to get started." I told the entire room before walking out the back door and onto the overgrown path that wound around to all the cabins. I followed the path to the cabin that Daryl and I had picked out last time we were here. It was set off by itself and had the best mountain views of all the cabins that I had seen when we were clearing them out. Walking down the path I attempted to identify some of the plants that grew all around me but without the pictures in the books I couldn't be 100 percent certain they were what I thought they were. Once I walked through the cabin doors I immediately started opening all the windows and doors to air the place out, it held a musty closed up smell. I was just stripping the bed in the bedroom when I heard footsteps sound behind me. "You clean when you're upset?" Daryl asked amused as he leaned in the doorway of the bedroom on the main floor of the cabin.

"Not particularly but I don't want to sleep on dusty sheets tonight. Do you?" I snapped as I grabbed up the sheets and quilt, heading outside to shake them out. Just as I was struggling to shake the heavy quilt that had laid on the bed Daryl took it from my hand and easily shook it out for me, dust flying off in the wind. "I'm with you on this one. I think that guy is a joke and is lying through his teeth. Either way, Rick has invited them to stay for a few days before a final decision is made."

I shrugged as I shook the sheets out. "It doesn't matter if he lets them stay six months, I'm still not going." I told him as I gave the sheet one final shake before hanging it over the railing to air out for a little bit. "Why does Rick want to be a leader all of a sudden? I thought he gave that role up back at the prison to play farmer." I snapped irritably as I grabbed the pillowcases to begin the process all over again with the rest of the bedding.

Daryl chuckled. "He did but I think it's just the sheriff in him that makes him think he is automatically in charge of every decision."

"Well, he can go if he wants too but I'm staying put and not wasting precious time by galivanting off on a pointless trip to D.C. just because some guy who looks like he used to live in his momma's basement playing video games all day says he has vital information to create some cure." I huffed out as I headed back inside to grab the linens off the loft bed, curtains, and couch cushions.

Once I had the sheets, blanket, and curtains piled on the bed I stood at the window looking outside at the expansive mountains in the distance. I wasn't sure how long I stood there before Daryl wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back against his chest. "What's got you so agitated? Talk to me." He whispered against my ear.

"Did you see a single walker on the way up the mountain?" I asked softly as I slid my hands over his as they wrapped around my chest.

"Now that you mention it, no." He replied softly as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

I turned around to face him, my hands coming to a rest against his chest, underneath his vest. "That was the whole point of this place, right? To be safe from them? Why would we risk all of that for a guy we know nothing about except what he's told Rick? We literally just went through a battle and lost horribly, and now Rick is wanting to put us back in harms way? I don't think so." I told him as I snuggled into his chest, pressing my nose against his throat.

"Hmm." Daryl whispered softly as his hands stroked up and down my back. "What else?"

Tilting my head back I searched his eyes but found them focused fully on me and not wavering one bit. "I'm scared that people will think my ideas are silly and a little girls fantasy. But, Daryl, I know I can do this. I have a _lot_ of my mother and father in me, Daryl, I _know_ this place can be magnificent. My momma taught me to cook and can all my life and my daddy taught me how to raise a garden and how to take care of animals. I know I can do this, it's just overwhelming at everything that has to get done rather quickly."

"Who cares what they think? I trust you. Maggie trusts you. I think you won Bob, Sasha, and Jensen over on our trip up here. Of course, Glenn is a smart man who will fall in line with Maggie. So that is six people who have complete faith and trust in you without you even doing anything but reading some books. Don't worry about what other people think. Do it for your father's memory. Do it for that future you told me about the other night." He told me as he sat on the edge of the bed with me straddling his lap. "But right now, I just want to lay here and enjoy the peace and quiet with you. We have a space of our own, all to ourselves, for the first time in forever." He told me as he scooted us back onto the bed until he could lay down with me stretching out on top of him.

As I lay there with my ear over his heart I couldn't have been more content than I was at that very moment "I think you just like me being on top, Daryl." I whispered as I pushed up, using his chest, and looked down at him. "You blow me away." I breathed out as I bent forward to take his lips with mine. The kiss quickly turned passionate and Daryl's hands slid from my thighs to my hips to skim up my sides tugging my shirt and sports bra up with his fingers.

We broke the kiss just so I could toss my shirt and bra to the floor. "Yours too." I grumbled as I quickly slid his vest off his shoulders and tugged his t-shirt off over his head, tossing them both to the ground. "You have an incredible body." I whispered as I ran my fingers through his sprinkling of chest hair and over his firm stomach.

Daryl quickly reversed our positions and sat back on his ankles. "You drive me insane with how you look at me." He growled as he undone the button of my pants before sliding the zipper down slowly. "Are you ready for this?" He asked as he gripped my jeans and panties at each hip. "Because if I get these pants off this time, we're going all the way." He warned me in that husky voice that drove me crazy.

Lifting my legs up was answer enough for him because he quickly yanked my jeans and panties off in one fluid tug, leaving me completely naked on the bed with my legs on either side of his denim clad legs. "God, you're beautiful." He whispered against the skin of my stomach as he bent forward to run his nose from my belly button up to my breasts. He lapped at each breasts causing me to squirm on the bed and arch beneath him, seeking the friction I needed but he kept his hips and erection just out of reach. "Daryl…please…" I whined as he played with my nipple between his teeth.

He released my nipple with a pop before rearing back to undo his belt and jeans but I quickly sat up and shoved his hands out of the way. "Let me." I told him as I made quick work of his belt, button, and zipper. "Off. Now." I demanded as I leaned back on my elbows.

Cocking his head to the side he smiled down at me. "Getting cocky, baby girl? I thought that was my job."

"Oh it is but I'm getting impatient." I told him as I tried to squeeze my legs together to get some much needed friction. "I feel like I'm dying here." I groaned as I flopped back onto the bed.

He stood from the bed and shucked his pants in one motion, much like he had mine. "Well we can't have you feeling like that, now can we?" He growled as he climbed back onto the bed beside me. Not where I wanted him at all. Or at least I thought until his hand landed on my knee pulling it back over his hip before trailing his hand up my thigh to my aching center. "You are so wet, Beth. I don't have a condom." He whispered as he ran his fingers through my wetness.

"Mhmm. I'm good for at least another year with my implant." I moaned out as he cupped me fully, pressing his palm to my throbbing clit and sliding the tips of his fingers through my wetness. "Oh God. I don't want to come without you." I moaned out as my hips rocked with the movements of his hand as his other hand slid under my body to grasp my breast and toy with my nipple.

"Oh yes, I want you to come first then we'll come together because I'm afraid I may not last long. Come on, you can do it, baby, just let it all go." He whispered against my ear as he nipped at it.

I rode the waves he created until they crested over then I bowed in his arms as they crashed against each other over and over again. "That's it." He crooned as he pulled his fingers up to my mouth, smearing my wetness all over my lips before taking them in a brutal kiss. "See how sweet you taste?"

Sinking my fingers into his hair I tugged until he climbed between my knees without ever breaking our kiss. "Mmmm. Stop teasing me, please." I begged between kisses.

"I've never been with a woman without a condom, Beth." He whispered as he sat up and grasped his erection in his fist, swiping it through my soaked center causing me to twitch on the bed. "This is probably going to be over way too quick."

Wrapping my legs around his waist I held him tight. "I'm sure you'll make up for it later. Please don't make me keep waiting." I begged him as I lifted my ass up towards where he held his erection.

He groaned as he placed the head of his dick between my folds before reaching forward to grasp my hands tightly in his. "Come here." He said as he tugged on my hands pulling me up against his chest as he sat back on his ankles which caused me to basically impale myself on his huge length.

"Oh God." I moaned as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck while my body tried to adjust to his size.

He smacked me lightly on the ass before growling into my neck. "God is nowhere in this bedroom, Beth, just you and me." He slid his hands up my back as I adjusted to him being inside me for the first time.

"Mhmm. You're so damn big." I moaned as I buried my face in his neck as his hands slid down my back to cup my butt and life me slightly then letting gravity pull me back down. "Oh." I moaned as this position allowed my clit to be stroked on every thrust. "More." I demanded once I was comfortable on him and not feeling anything but straight pleasure.

He laid me down on the bed then as he hovered over me. "You sure you're ready for more? You're really tight." He moaned as he pulled a small fraction before sliding back inside my depths, bowing his head with a moan.

"Are you scared, Daryl?" I teased as I rotated my hips against his causing him to snarl at me with his teeth bared. It got the reaction that I wanted though because he pulled almost all the way out before slamming back home. Hard.

My back arched up off the bed as I moaned loudly. "Yes, that's it." I moaned as I gripped his hair tightly in my hands pulling his mouth down to mine to muffle our sounds because all the windows and doors were open.

He ripped his lips from mine as he sat back on his ankles, grabbing my hips in his hands. "You asked for it, baby." He moaned as he began pistoning his hips in and out of mine sending me flying higher than I ever thought possible.

I felt his body trembling as the spring in my core wound tighter and tighter with every stroke before it broke and sent me flying higher than I thought was possible. He slowed his hips down until I fell back to the earth. "You good?" He growled as he bent back down over me.

"I thought you said this was going to be quick." I teased him as I wiggled my hips to encourage him to move faster again to reach his own end. "Now, it's your turn."

He shook his head. "Nope, together. I think you got one more in you." He growled before latching onto my nipple with his teeth, giving it a painful bite.

I growled as I tugged at his hair. "You trying to kill me the first time we have sex?"

"This is so much more than just basic sex, Beth. Come on, give me one more then we can take a nap." He told me as he raised up and slid his thumb onto my clit, stroking it fast and hard as his hips picked up the pace again. "Come on, I'm close." He growled as his eyes blazed down at me, scorching me with their intensity but I couldn't break his gaze for the life of me. Even as my body bowed once again and his jerked against me in an uneven rhythm, I couldn't break our gaze.

With a guttural growl he flattened his hips to mine as his length thickened and jerked inside me sending me flying through the skies again. Only then did I break our gaze, as my eyes refused to stay open with the pleasure soaring through my body. "That was so good." I moaned as he pulled out of me and flopped onto the bed beside me. "But nasty." I said as I rolled off the bed as I felt his cum slide out of me.

He chuckled as I sprinted to the bathroom and wiped his mess clean with the washcloth on the bottom of the small stack on the counter. Deciding to just try my luck I twisted the knob on the sink and wasn't terribly disappointed when nothing came out of it. Most well pumps used electricity and that was a thing of the past. Thank goodness this place with a fairly good sized creek running through it and a massive waterfall down the road a bit if we became desperate for water. Once I wiped the mess from between my legs I headed back to the room to find Daryl laying on the bed, naked as the day he was born, smoking a cigarette. "Comfortable?" I asked him as I slid against him.

"Mhmm. Too tired to move very far though it is nice to see the woman sprint from the bed after sex instead of me." He chuckled as he blew smoke in the direction of the open window.

I slapped his chest playfully. "I didn't want to make a mess on the bed since we can't just go buy a new one." I told him as I slid my leg up over his hips, brushing against his soft length.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders after he pinched the end of the cigarette out. "You are amazing, you know that?" He whispered as he wiggled around in the bed until we were face to face with my leg over his hip and his hand cupping my ass cheek.

"You're pretty amazing too. We really don't have time to nap, you know?" I said just as a yawn escaped me causing him to chuckle. "The crates from that house down the hill need to be collected."

He smirked at me as his hand slid down between my legs to play with my folds. "Didn't really plan on napping anyways." He whispered against my lips. "But we're definitely not leaving this bed any time soon."

"Oh really?" I teased as I pulled back to look at his face. "Just what did you have plans to do?"

With a kiss to my lips and a twist of his hips, he showed me exactly what his plans were.


	14. Chapter 14

**Short but important chapter!**

 **So...I actually completed this story a few days ago and it's not near as long as I originally thought it would be, it's only 25 chapters!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

As Daryl lay snoring lightly on the bed beside me I eased from the bed and made my way into the front room. Tugging the new notebook I had scored from the library out of my backpack I headed for the outdoor deck so I could take advantage of the sun.

 _Survival Mountain_

 _Day 1_

 _Some of us made it here safely. Others did not._

 _Inhabitants of Survival Mountain:_

 _Glenn Rhee_

 _Maggie Greene Rhee_

 _Rick Grimes_

 _Judith Grimes_

 _Carl Grimes_

 _Jensen Carmichael_

 _Jill Johnson_

 _Daryl Dixon_

 _Beth Greene_

 _Carol Peletier_

 _Mika Samuels_

 _Michonne Anthony_

 _Sasha Williams_

 _Tyrese Williams_

 _Bob Stookey_

 _Visitors:_

 _Rosita Espinoza_

 _Eugene Porter_

 _Abraham Ford_

 _Tara Chambler_

 _Going on's:_

 _Though we just got here a few hours ago a major discussion has the camp divided. Eugene says he is the key to a creating a cure, but he has to get to D.C. but I think he's full of shit._

 _Today was spent picking cabins and cleaning them out to make them livable. Tomorrow will be the true start of our lives here._

"What are you doing out here?" Daryl's groggy voice asked as he slid out the crack I had left in the door.

Placing the notebook in my lap I held a hand out for him to join me on the deck. "Starting the history of this mountain. It's Day 1 of a new life."

"Indeed it is." He said as he pressed a kiss to the side of my head. "Have you decided on Abraham's proposal yet?"

I nodded as I pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my cheek on them as I gazed at the perfection that was Daryl Dixon. "I'm not going with them."

"Okay."

The next morning our group gathered in the main building just after sunrise. Though, Daryl and I were the only ones to show up with our hands full. I was carrying a bucket of water that I had collected from the creek and Daryl had a few pieces of wood and some kindling from the wood shed in his arms. "Who wants breakfast?" I asked the room full of wide eyed people as I walked straight to the massive stove that looked like it hadn't been used in decades though it was hooked up to be exhausted outside.

"What are we having?" Maggie asked with a smile on her face.

I turned to look at her as Daryl busied himself getting the fire going. "How about some of hot honey grits and maybe some cheese and jam?" I asked her as I headed for the back store room where Daryl and I had took inventory yesterday evening while everybody else picked and cleaned out their cabins. Glenn hadn't been lying when he said it was full of all kind of things that we could use. I didn't want to just run through the items in there but we would have to depend on the supply until we got things set up around here.

"Little girl, do you even know how to cook on that wood stove?" The redheaded man that I had never seen before yesterday asked with a chuckle and laugh of his head.

I whirled on him. "If you doubt my abilities, you are more than welcome to go hungry for the rest of the day." I growled at him before stomping past him.

Nothing else was said as I came strolling back out of the room with the only wheel of goat cheese, a jar of jam, a box of grits, and a jar of honey. As I laid the items on the kitchen table Daryl kissed the side of my head as he went to take a seat. "The fire's going but it may take a few minutes to get going real good." He whispered as he sat in one of the chairs beside Glenn and Rick.

I poured my bowl of water into a cast-iron pot I found hanging on the wall before sitting it on the burner directly over where the fire was so it could start boiling. As I was looking through all the things on the wall and shelves looking for a plate Carol got up and ran up the stairs leaving us all curious as to what was going on but I just continued my search.

A few minutes later I was frustrated and about to run back to our cabin for bowls, plates, and silverware when Carol came back down the stairs with a dresser drawer full of dishes. "The owner's living quarters are upstairs and it has a kitchen." She said with a smile as she sat the drawer on the table and began unloading it.

Mika came running over to us with a smile on her face. "Can I help?"

With a smile I nodded. "Sure you can, you can hop up on this chair and stir the grits. Think you can do that?" I asked softly as I pushed a chair over in front of the stove that was quickly heating the room up.

She nodded and quickly hopped up on the stove. "Yep, my momma always said I was a better stirrer than Lizzie was." She said with a sad smile.

"Well, that's got to mean you're the best then." I teased her as I handed her the wooden spoon before pouring the grits into the stove and scooting the pot over a burner so it wasn't directly over the heat. "Be sure and get the entire bottom of the pan, okay?"

Mika nodded as she began stirring slowly but with intense concentration. Once the grits began to thicken I poured in a generous amount of honey for a bit of a sweet touch. "Just keep stirring." I told her softly as I turned back to the table to slice the cheese but I found Carol doing it for me. "Thanks." I told her as I began lining up plates along the table so I could split the grits and cheese between everybody evenly.

"Your dad would be proud of you, Beth." Carol whispered to me as I spread jam on the thin slices of cheese.

I nodded as tears came to my eyes despite the furious blinking. "Thanks."

After a breakfast that was filled with moans of appreciation the subject of helping Abraham and Rosita escort Eugene to D.C. was brought up again. Leaning back in my chair I bit my tongue as I looked around the room at the people that I considered to be my family. Maggie is the one that surprised me because she stood from her seat and put her palms on the table as she leaned towards Eugen who was watching her with wide terrified eyes. "I think after everything we've been through in the past several days we are going to need a little more information before we make that kind of decision." She said glaring at Eugene who was damn near in tears by the time Maggie sat back down.

"It's classified." Eugene muttered as we all sat there in silence after Maggie's statement. "And you're not at the right clearance level for me to reveal that information."

"Bullshit. No cure is going to bring those things back! We've been to the CDC and saw brain scans of one. There is no activity and last time I checked that means you're dead with no way of being cured." Carol said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Abraham stood up, taking the same stance Maggie had earlier. "Like the doctor said, the information is classified. If you don't want to go be part of creating the cure for the world then just say so and you can stay up here on this mountain top pretending that everything is okay with the world. Otherwise man up and join us in our mission."

I shook my head and spoke my peace. "I wish you all the luck in the world but I've lost enough in this world and I refuse to lose any more because some guy we know nothing about claims to have the key to some magical cure. When I say that I'm not helping you on your death wish mission, I say it with the utmost confidence in my abilities to make a life here. We will be here waiting when you realize he's lying and you need a safe place to retreat to." I told him before standing up and heading upstairs to see what we could use up there.

Maggie, Michonne, and Carol found me as I was emptying out the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, spreading the stuff along the countertops, table, and floor. "What are you doing?" Michonne asked from the doorway getting my attention.

"Sorting stuff into useable, possible, and no way in hell piles." I told them as I stretched to reach the mixing bowls in the very top cabinet.

"Oh. Okay. What's the useful pile and we'll start carting it downstairs?" Carol asked as she looked at the stuff scattered all around the surfaces of the kitchen.

I whirled around and faced them. "Do you think I'm crazy for not wanting to go after a possible cure?" I asked them suddenly.

They all three shook their heads. "I think you've been through a lot and just want to regroup in a safe space." Michonne said as she watched me carefully.

"It's more than that though. I want this place for more than just myself to recover from the loss of my father. Judith, Carl, any possible future kids of ours all deserve a place where they can be safe. Let those idiots go on their mission and we'll all work to make this place safe and livable. We all deserve a place like this." I told them before turning back to the cabinets. "The pile on the table is the one that's useable."

The four of us split up to conquer the main structure ready for what we needed it to be. All the medical supplies was moved to the upstairs kitchen while all the kitchen stuff was moved to the downstairs space. Shelves were moved, the useless electronics were piled into the small office just in case we could one day use parts out of them, and the tables were pulled from the other cabins to take place in the expansive first floor for both eating and cooking. We split the tables into two main areas; eating and cooking.

"It's looking good in here." Daryl said as he walked in with a huge smile and a string full of goodies. "How does fish sound for dinner?"

I smiled at him. "I'm going to try my hand at dandelion soup tonight and I think fish will go great with that."

"The smile fell from his face. "Dandelion soup? Are you serious? I caught enough fish for everybody to have one."

Giving him a playful shove I grabbed a bowl and headed outside with him trailing behind me. "Just give it a try, please. It's the first of my recipes that I want to try and the damn things are growing all over the place."

He tugged me to a stop with a hand to my elbow. "I'll try it if you cook it."

"Thanks." I told him as I bent down to pick the first leaf of what I assumed would be plenty. "That means a lot to me. What are you going to now?" I asked him as I picked the biggest of the leaves, leaving the rest.

With a grunt he pointed to where Rick, Tyrese, and Bob were manhandling the useless kitchen stoves and refrigerators out of all the cabins. "Rick said something about using the appliances to block off the roads."

"That's smart, but don't use all of the refrigerators. I have an idea for them." I told him with a wink.

"Of course you do." He muttered as he walked away shaking his head.

* * *

 **Now that that's over with I have a question...**

 **I am playing with an AU story for Bethyl...would you guys be interested?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Why are we eating weeds when we have two rooms full of food?" Abraham asked as Mika sat his bowl of dandelion soup down in front of him.

Turning to face him from where I was pulling the lemon juice and rosemary seasoned baked fish from the oven. "You are more than welcome to leave if you don't like how we do things around here." I told him as I began sliding the pieces of fish onto the saucers I had lined up on the table. "Trust me when I say that none of are keeping you here." I snapped. "And there's more than just dandelions in there. Mushrooms and beans are not weeds last time I checked!"

The only sound to fill the room for several minutes was forks and spoon scraping against dishes. As I slid the plate of fish in front of Rick he reached out and grasped my wrist. "Thank you for dinner, Beth. It's really good."

"Thanks." I told him with a smile as I finished serving all of the plates before taking a seat myself between Daryl and Maggie.

Bob looked up from his bowl of soup to look at me curiously. "Beth, what are you going to do with all of those old refrigerators? It's not as if we have electricity anymore."

"Root cellars. A book I read said that we can store our vegetables in a container buried in the ground to keep them fresh and make them last longer." I explained as I took a tentative bite of the dandelion soup. It was really good, a lot better than I thought it would be. "We just have to fashion a vent on them before we bury them."

Eugene shocked me then by speaking. "That's a really smart idea. The vents could be made out of old plumping pipes with a cap over the top to keep rain and snow out of the actual cellars."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." I told him with a smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

"I give praise where it's needed." He said before digging back into his soup and fish.

The next morning Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, and Tara left but our group all decided the risk wasn't worth it when Eugene wouldn't give anymore information. "We really need to go on some runs to try and find some animals." I told Daryl as we carried buckets of water back up to the kitchen so Mika could get the breakfast dishes washed. "They could make all the difference in our future here."

He nodded. "Okay, while you help Mika heat up this water I'll go gather everybody up and we'll all go together and just make it a massive run."

"Okay."

A short time later, the majority of was loaded into three different trucks and headed down the mountain going to a farm Jensen had told us about that rested high in the mountain range and was fairly secluded. The main thing we were worried about going to a farm like that is if the owners were still alive and protective of their property. I was just hopeful that even if the people were still alive that they would be willing to give us one or two of their goats and possibly a chicken or two also. According to the clock on the dash it took us a little over an hour to traverse the winding mountain road that allowed us to miss the major towns completely. A few more walkers littered the roads the further we got from our camp which made us realize how much we really did need a good fence up to protect us as we built a life up in the mountains of northern Georgia. "I don't see any goats." I commented as I climbed from the cab of the truck.

"I don't see any walkers either." Daryl said as he scanned the area around us. While we were still high in the mountains there were a few houses around that could potentially hold walkers.

With a shrug I lowered my crossbow and walked to the front door of the long building in front of us. I felt everybody's eyes on us as I raised my fist and knocked on the door. When I heard a growling inside I hung my head and nodded at Daryl letting him know that there was one or more inside. We did our normal routine when clearing properties except this time Daryl pulled open the door while I fired a bolt into the woman's head, sending her to the ground. In one fluid motion, I slid my crossbow to my back and pulled my knife from my thigh sheath to sink it into the skull of the male walker that stumbled towards me. Th blood that sprayed from his skull was bright read which meant he hadn't been dead long. "They just recently turned." I told Daryl as I stood up from wiping my blade on the jeans of the male walker.

I stepped through the door and was instantly in a great mood. In cages lined up, in what must be a waiting room area, were goats, chickens, turkeys, and two sheep in a larger cage. The entire perimeter of the room was lined with cages that held squawking animals. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed as I walked around the room taking in our amazing find.

At my exclamation the others filed in the room and were obviously stunned by the sight before us all. "This is a good thing, right?" Maggie asked as she stepped further into the room.

"Hell yes this is a good thing. They must have brought the animals inside to protect them from walkers." I said as I bent down to open the cage of a baby goat who was watching us wearily. "These babies can make our lives so much better. We can have fresh milk, Judy can finally have all the milk she wants, butter, cheese, buttermilk, and so much more. I have recipes for all kinds of things using goats milk from butter to soaps." I told Maggie as I stood up with the baby goat in my arms. "We're taking them all." I told everybody with tears in my eyes at the possibilities these animals presented to us.

Rick smiled as he and Glenn grabbed the first cage that had a goat with swollen udders in it. "But first we need to milk the goats and toss that milk. It may be infected from not being milked for a short time." I told them, halting them in their tracks.

"Um, Beth, I don't know how to milk a goat." Rick said with a blush.

I laughed and pointed to Maggie. "Mags does. She's a pro at it." I told them as I put my baby goat back into it's cage despite it's protests.

Maggie rolled her eyes but sat down on the stool with a frown on her face. "I hate you." She muttered playfully to me as Glenn let the goat out of her cage, leading her over to Maggie.

"No you don't. You love me and I love you. Have fun milking while the rest of us search the rest of the buildings." I told her with a pat on her shoulder as I headed for a door at the back of the room.

Our haul was absolutely massive from the farm. To me though, the best thing I found besides the animals was a small notebook that held the recipes for all their products. We got soaps, cheeses, honey, lotions, deodorants, herbs in pots, molds, cooking utensils, animal feed, and on and on the list went. "This is absolutely amazing, Daryl." I told him as I flipped through the notebook as he guided our small convoy back to the cabins. "They obviously cared about their animals considering they brought them inside and put them in cages." I told him as I looked back at Jensen who was riding in the back of the truck with our haul of the cages to make sure nobody fell out since we had double stacked the cages. Rick had suggested double caging the animals to save space but when I told him that we would need the cages until we got them pens build he quickly agreed that it made sense.

"I wonder what happened to them since obviously they had lasted this long." Daryl said as he slowed down to drive around the walkers stumbling our way because of the noise the goats were making without tipping any of the cages out of the truck.

I sighed as I closed the book and looked closely at Daryl. "That's the way this world has become. We die doing the simplest things. As I think back to the day the fence fell at the prison I remember seeing my Dad out in the garden. He was just checking the garden and never made it out of there alive." I whispered softly. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

He reached over linking our fingers together. "Let's not think like that. We're both here now taking a massive haul of bees and goats and chicken and turkeys back to our camp."

"I don't think Glenn is ever going to forgive me from him getting stung so much when loading that beehive." I said as I chuckled at the glares Glenn had sent my way when he walked back into the building after loading the stack of wooden boxes. "But I bet he'll forgive me when he has honey for the next twenty years."

 _Day 3_

 _Our visitors left today and the entire group stayed._

 _Today was a massive day for Survival Mountain! We found animals! 8 goats, 5 chickens, and 2 turkeys joined our camp today. The finding of those animals makes our survival almost guaranteed. Now, we just have to find a cultivator to get the garden spots ready for planting. It's not too late in the summer for us to still make a decent haul before winter. The next big thing on our to do list is to get the old refrigerators fitted with a vent pipe and buried in the hill side so we have a space to store our food once it produces come fall._

 _Day 3 could be marked as a successful day._

Three days after we found the animals Daryl, Jensen, and I headed for a cattle farm that had been at the bottom of the mountains for the past 100 years he had told us about to find some antique kitchen tools and gardening tools. "We really need a butter churn and a strainer and some gardening tools today if we don't find nothing else. Rome wasn't built in a day." I said once we had passed around the wreckage by the campground. "An old fashioned lawn mower wouldn't hurt either." I said and everybody chuckled at my put out tone.

"Curly, Larry, and Mo not working fast enough for you?" Jensen asked with a laugh. He had named a trio of the goats after the three stooges because of some of the antics the things got up to.

I shook my head. "No, they're too busy playing to get the spots cleared that I need cleared." My seeds that I had planted on the evening of day 2 was starting to sprout and would need to go in the ground soon. "I can use the pumpkin seeds and all the acorns Mika keeps collecting to make some oil and even flour and bread once we get the right equipment."

"Really? You can do all that?" Jensen asked, clearly shocked.

Shrugging my shoulders I turned to look at him. "I don't know yet but those books say it's possible so what do we got to loose with trying? Time? We've got plenty of that. To make the oil I need an oil press and to make the flour I need a nut cracker."

"True." Jensen said softly.

I settled in for the remainder of the ride silently as my fingers stroked the strings on my Barnett. When we got to the farm my eyes went wide at the expansiveness of it. "This place was the real deal, huh?." I said softly as I took in the huge house, barn, store, and other outbuildings that looked older than the ones up close to the driveway.

Jensen laughed. "Yeah, the family has been operating on this land for several generations. They basically owned the town but were still humble people at the end of the day. Their kids practically ran from this town years ago and unfortunately never made it back after the turn. I went to school with their youngest daughter."

"I know it sucks to see people that you grew up with try to eat you alive because they're dead but they're not _dead._ Before the prison we were at my farm, where I was born and raised." I told him as Daryl jumped out of the truck to open the gate. Sliding over into the driver's seat, I eased the truck through the gate so he could shut it back behind the truck. "If this farm has been here for generations then they most likely have a bunch of old equipment around that we can use." I told him confidently as we climbed from the truck.

"Let's keep our eyes peeled and not be fooled by the gates and fences around us." Daryl said as he slid his crossbow to his back so he could pull open the sliding track door while Jensen and I stood ready to fire at the slightest movement.

We all breathed a sigh of relief when nothing came stumbling out at us but when we walked around to open the back door so we could see inside there were four walkers ambling towards us. Between the three of us we took them down quickly, then plucked our arrows out of their skulls, and reloading our bows. "Team work." I teased as I headed into the barn like structure that had obviously been relegated to storage. Of old equipment. We quickly filled up the bed of the truck with any of the equipment that didn't run on electricity or gas. I suggested that we just take it all and go through it later to decide if we needed it or not and the guys quickly agreed.

We lucked out when we spotted an old trailer that we could hook to the truck to haul the bigger pieces of equipment such as the hand operated grain thresher, the cotton gin, the corn sheller, the old cook stove drier (dehydrator), and the spinning wheel. "What's that old house over there?" I asked Jensen as we carried the smaller items to the truck to place them in the back.

"They turned the original house into a sort of museum." He said then his eyes got huge. "They probably have some things you could use."

I grinned at him as I looked over the items in the bed of the truck. "I have no idea how to use half of these things and it's not as if I can just Google it anymore." I told him with a shake of my head. "Maybe another trip to a library is needed." I huffed as I walked back over to the shed to grab whatever was left. This day just got really overwhelming. The list I had brought with me of things I knew I wanted and needed to make our lives easier was quickly being scratched off as more things were added because I didn't know there was other parts and pieces to the processes. Such as with the sheep and their wool. I thought all we needed was the sheers and a spinning wheel but turns out there was a piece of equipment called a wool carder which basically brushed the wool before spinning it into yarn. I found that out from a faded poster on the wall of the shed.

"You've got this, Beth. We all have faith in you." Jensen said as he came in behind me to grab the other end of the hand plow we were going to use to break up the soil of the land to plant our garden.

I nodded as I picked up my end of the old hand plow with a grunt, the damn thing was bulky. Daryl smiled as once again we passed each other on trips to and from the truck. Shed after shed we found things we would need to work the land as well as process the foods we picked and grew.

Now, we just needed to go look in that old house slash museum to see if there was indeed a wood burning cook stove in there we could use. "Let's go look in that museum house for the stove before we head back." I said with a grunt as I pulled my tired self from where I had been sitting on the edge of the trailer taking a small break. This place was so much better than any antique store find I could have ever dreamed of, hell it was an antique store basically. The truck was full of grinders, food mills, sauce makers, hand cranked mixers, oil press, nut cracker, hand cranked noodle maker, hand churns, mortar and pestles, and so much more. We were going to run out of room to store everything at the rate we were going but that is a problem I could solve! Figuring out how to use all these damn things was another story in itself.

We all hopped in the truck and drove out of the gate and up to the old house that sat at the far back side of the property, partially positioned against the mountains. Once we got there we once again became aware that we would have to keep our guard up here due to the fact that were outside the fences. "Keep your eyes open." Daryl said as we repeated our process of knocking on the door and listening. Only going inside when we didn't hear anything.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed as I seen the numerous framed picture frames along the shelves and walls.

"What?" Jensen asked as he grabbed the cast iron utensils off the wall hooks.

Pointing at all the picture frames on the walls. "They're old recipes." I whispered as I began plucking them off the walls. I would rewrite them into my notebook.

"Oh." He said, seemingly disinterested in what I thought was an amazing find.

We were in and out of the house quickly and headed back up the mountain just as we spotted several walkers headed in our direction. Daryl maneuvered the truck and trailer around the growing number while Jensen and I clutched our bows tightly in case we needed to get out and fight them off. "We're not coming back down that fucking mountain." Daryl said as he clipped a walker with the front of the truck. "So I hope you got everything you needed today because if not, I hate to say it, but you're just shit out of luck."

I nodded in agreement because it was terrifying watching the walkers claw at the truck as we eased by. It's not like we could just gas on it and speed away from them. We had precious merchandise in the back that we really needed. Finally, we hit a clear patch and Daryl was able to speed up and get out of harms danger. I don't think any of us breathed a sigh of relief until we rounded the campground wreck.

As we pulled into the driveway in front of the store Rick stood gaping at the truck and trailer with wide eyes. "Where did you find all of that?" He asked us as we climbed from the truck.

I smiled at him. "At a farm at the bottom of the mountain. It was all in the back storage sheds and an old log cabin at the back of the property." I explained as I headed inside with my collection of framed recipes.

He patted me on the shoulder as he whistled to get the attention of the others. "You are amazing, Beth. You are really going to make this place work for us, aren't you?"

His comment made me stop in my tracks and frown in confusion. "Did you really doubt that I could do it? We can't keep eating the canned foods that are way past expired, Rick. It's going to kill us eventually and I don't know about you but that is not how I want to go out of this world." I told him as I turned away from him heading on into the kitchen.

When I walked in I found Maggie and Carol looking down in the large bowl of acorns I had asked Mika to pick the past several days. "Can you come help unload the truck and trailer? We've got a bunch of stuff and most of it's coming in here." I asked them with a smile as I sat my stack of recipes as Jensen walked in behind me carrying the butter churn I had smiled at when I had saw it.

Maggie groaned at the sight of it. "I hate those damn things. Not having access to a grocery store really sucks sometimes."

I laughed at her because it really was a workout to work the cream from the cows milk into butter and we had done it numerous times when we were kids. As punishment when we done something stupid. "Yeah, but you'll appreciate that butter when I make my first batch of muffins." I told her with a laugh as I followed them back out to the truck that Daryl had pulled as close to the house as possible.

With everybody pitching in we made quick work of our haul for the day but by the time everything was stashed in the kitchen and in what would become the garden area I was exhausted but I wasn't finished by any means. I had acorns to get sorted that Mika had been picking for a few days. Grabbing the five gallon bucket of acorns and a plastic bowl I headed down to the creek to start the second step to making acorn flour. I was down there scooping water into the bucket of acorns when I heard footsteps behind me. "Beth, what are you doing?" The voice asked causing me to smile over my shoulder at little Mika standing there.

"This will let us pick the bad acorns from the good. Want to help?" I asked her as I dumped the bowl of water into the bucket. "The bad ones float and we can pick them out and feed to the chickens and turkeys."

She nodded quickly. "Yeah."

"Okay, run up to the kitchen and grab a cup or bowl so you can scoop up the water." I told her with a smile. She quickly ran off as a chuckle jerked my attention to the side of the house. "What's so funny?" I asked Glenn who stood there watching me curiously.

He stepped over to where I was scooping small amounts of water into the bucket, over and over. "It's just that you are so good with them, a natural even, yet you got so frustrated when you were babysitting them."

I shrugged. "This isn't babysitting, Glenn, it's teaching and she has to learn somehow." I told him with a shrug of my shoulders as Mika came running back with a cup in her hands.

The next little bit was spent scooping water over the acorns until the bucket was full and acorns started popping to the top. "Pick those off and put them into my bowl. They have little critters in them that the chickens will love." I told her as I looked around for a stick to stir the acorns. "Once we're finished here we have to go boil them and crack 'em open." I told her as I stirred the bucket of acorns that would hopefully make our first batch of acorn flour.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

With my lip between my teeth I placed the platter of pancakes down on the table where everybody was gathered waiting for breakfast. "Pancakes?" Tara asked disbelievingly as she stared at the stack with wide eyes.

I nodded. "And butter." I told her as Mika placed the bowl of butter she and Maggie had just churned yesterday from the goat's milk.

"And fresh eggs." Carol said as she slid the bowl of scrambled eggs onto the table before taking her seat.

"And coffee." Maggie said as she sat the jug of dandelion coffee on the table. Everybody watched us with wide eyes as we sat the biggest breakfast we had had in many many months on the table.

"Oh!" I said as I jumped up running to the back room. "I forgot the honey!" I called out as I raced back into the room to find everybody watching me with wide eyes. "Can't have pancakes without something to dip them into, now can you?" I asked as I took my seat once again.

The entire table chuckled as they began passing the food around. With 16 mouths to feed at least twice a day it took a lot of work but the looks on their faces when I sat the tray of pancakes on the table had been worth it. Mika and I had worked for days to make enough acorn flour to make enough pancakes but now I was worried what they would think about the little brown discs. Once the moans began hitting my ears I hid my smile by eating my own plate of food.

We had been at the cabins for 36 days so far and many drastic changes had taken place to the property itself thanks to the hard work and dedication of everybody. We now had 12 root cellars that were maintaining a fairly steady temperature, a fence along the roads and the woods at the back of the cabins, a garden area that would produce before winter, happily producing goats and chickens, and the shelves were beginning to fill up with bottles and jars of the herbs, flowers, leaves, and roots I had foraged from the woods.

"I think we need to go on a run." Rick said once we had all finished eating breakfast.

I looked up at him with wide shocked eyes because after Jensen, Daryl, and I almost got trapped by walkers when we got the equipment from the farm down the mountain everybody had agreed that we wouldn't need to go back down the mountain anymore. "Why? I though we were done with runs. It's just a death wish since 'food' has become so scarce for the walkers."

"We are going to need winter gear, Beth. That's not something you can just dig up in the woods." He told me with a shake of his head.

Scooting my chair back I looked at him. "We all have more clothes, even winter clothes, than we've probably had since the outbreak started." I told him because we had cleaned all of the houses on our mountain out and had actually hit the jackpot on useable items in a few of the obvious vacation homes.

"It's happening, Beth, so you might as well wrap your head around it." Rick said as he leaned back in his chair. "It's just a matter of time."

Without a single word I headed up the stairs and out onto the balcony for some space. I found solace in seeing all of my herbs growing on the shelves Daryl and Bob had built me. Fiddling with the small pots I turned them all around so both sides could get equal amounts of sunlight. I did this every morning and they were flourishing. "You're going to have to start picking those pretty soon." Daryl said from behind me. The quietness of the man sometimes surprised me.

I nodded as I ran my fingers over the leaves of the plants. "Yeah, then I'll put them in some of those small jars you consider ridiculous." I told him as I looked out over the view we had from our perch in the mountains. "I don't like the idea of anybody going on a run."

"It's necessary, Beth, you know it as well as I do." He said as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "There are a variety of things that we all need. You, yourself, has told me that you could use some more jars and lids."

Turning in his arms I looped my arms over his shoulders. "I know, it's just dangerous." I told him as I sunk my hands into his hair that needed another cut.

He tugged me up against his chest. "Maybe we'll luck out and find some more animals. How nice would it be to have a cow and a horse or maybe a pig?"

"Amazing. We could have bacon again." I whispered as I rested my head against his chest. "I know it's a good idea but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Everybody left us alone until Carol poked her head out the door. "Beth, are we going to dry our hand at drying out the milk again today?"

Daryl pulled back and looked at me like I was crazy. "Drying out milk?"

I nodded as I pulled away from him. "I'm hoping to recreate like a powdered milk so we won't waste any. We can only drink and cook so much and we are giving the rest to the animals. I figured we should try to find a way to store it so when the animals quit producing it we will still have some to use."

He cupped my cheeks and planted a quick kiss to my lips. "Amazing." He muttered against my lips before leaving me and Carol on the deck laughing at his departing back.

"I assume he liked that idea?" Carol chuckled as we walked back into the kitchen to find Mika playing in the floor with Judith who was up on her hands and knees rocking. It would just be a short time before the baby started crawling now that she was able to actually be put down on the floor.

"I guess so. If he only knew how much we had to put in the scrap buckets yesterday." I told her as I grabbed the pail that contained the milk that was left over from breakfast.

While Carol got the drier screens ready I read over the instructions in one of the books I had to see where we had went wrong yesterday but couldn't find any. "Maybe we didn't have the stove hot enough. It's not as if we have temperature gauges on it." I mumbled to myself as I began scooping the cream off the top of the milk that Maggie had collected yesterday evening and placing it in the butter churn for Mika to use after dinner.

Once I had the cream scooped off the top I took a cup and poured a thin layer of the skim milk into the pans Carol had lined the drier screens with. "Okay, let's try this again." I told myself as I carefully picked up the tray and carried it to the drier that Carol had sat on top of the massive wood stove after stoking the fire again.

"We're going to get this figured out Beth. Trial and error is a tried and true method of getting things right." Carol told me as she slid the second sheet into the drier.

I nodded. "I know, I just hate wasting food when it's so precious and vital and hard to come by these days."

"You make things look easy though. None of us ever had the slightest thought to go back to the way the pioneers did things but look at you? You are the one that has us doing all of this. Hershel has got to be smiling down at you now." She told me as she scooped the last bit of milk onto her tray.

Smiling at her as I carefully slid my own tray into its slot I nodded. "Dad has told me all my life that I was a lot like my mom because once I set my mind to things I am full steam ahead and whoever's around better get on board or get out of my way." She laughed at that but nodded in agreement.

"I can see that. You had this grand idea in your head when you drove up and wasted no time in making it a reality though most of us thought you were crazy and dreaming too big. But look at us now! Hell we had pancakes and butter and fresh milk for breakfast." She said as she grabbed a towel and began wiping the table clear of our mess.

With a sigh I sat down for a few minutes. "Do you think it's crazy to try and make cheese out of the goat's milk?" I asked as I pulled my book over to me and flipped a few pages where I had the recipe written out. It seemed simple enough, especially since we had found some lemon juice in the crates from the down the hill house.

"Are you serious? We can have cheese?" Mika exclaimed as she jumped up from the floor where she had been reading a book to Judith.

I shrugged as I showed her the recipe. "I don't know but maybe we could try with tomorrow's milk since we have the drier going right now."

She nodded eagerly while Carol just smiled at me as she grabbed a basket so we could go foraging in the woods while the drier did it's thing. It was actually an old version of a dehydrator except it used the head of the wood stove to do the work instead of electricity. We had used the thing more than I had thought we would.

"Sounds like we have a plan for tomorrow then." I told her as I tweaked her nose and grabbing my own basket. "Are you going with us or are you going to watch Judy?" I asked her because usually Judy was passed around all the residents that were in the camp depending on what people were doing.

"Coming with! I'll take her to Rick!" She said excitedly as she scooped now seven month old Judith Grimes into her arms and burst out the front door.

When we made our way back into the kitchen cabin after a very successful forage in the forests around our cabins I quickly went to the dehydrator to check on the milk and cheered when I saw that the milk that had been liquid this morning was now a dry flaky sheet lining the pans. "Yes! I think we done it, Carol." I told her as I pulled the tray completely out of the drier and sat it on the table next to our baskets of our foraged finds.

"Really? It worked?" She asked as she joined me at the table. Pressing my fingers all over the tray I felt no moist spots or lumpy spots so I was going to assume it had indeed worked.

"Seems so. Let's check the other trays then we can chunk all of this into the grinder before putting it into the jars." I told her as I went to grab another tray to repeat the process. Unfortunately the top tray was still damp so we just moved it down to the bottom and stuck another piece of wood into the stove.

Carol held the jars while I worked the crank of the grinder and we quickly filled two quart size jars with the powdered milk. "This is absolutely amazing. Who knew we could do this stuff? I bet your Dad wouldn't have even though of this. I know I sure didn't." She said as she took the marker and wrote milk on the lid before sliding it onto the table.

I shrugged. "I didn't either, honestly, until I read it in one of my books. That's where all of these ideas come from. None of this would be happening if I didn't have those books and recipes at my disposal." I admitted to her. "Now, I found a recipe for some pepper jelly that I thought we could try using the wild peppers Mika and I stumbled upon today." I told her as I opened up my book to the recipe and slid it across the table to her as I pulled the wild peppers we had found from the basket. "Maybe it would be good on some acorn bread or even to stir into our soups or onto the god awful amount of squirrel and snake and rabbit we eat." I told her with a laugh as I stood from the table to unhook the grinder from the table and replace it with the chopper.

"This sounds really good. Are you thinking to replace the sugar with honey?" Carol asked as she stood up to help me.

With a nod we got to work making our first batch of pepper jelly with the wild peppers we had found.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"I'm not sure I like you sneaking out of bed before the sun is even fully up." Daryl groaned from behind me. He had been sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to disturb him but Mika and I had something we had to get done this morning before breakfast if we wanted to see some results today so I had tried to ease out of bed. I should have know it wouldn't work because as much as he accused me of resembling a glue coated spider monkey in my sleep, he was just as bad.

Rolling over to face I pressed my lips to his. "I've got something I need to do before I get started cooking breakfast." I told him softly.

"Is this the top secret recipe Mika was telling Carl and Rick about over dinner?" He asked as he slid his knee between my legs while pulling my leg back up over his hip.

"Mhmm." I told him as I quickly rolled him onto his back and straddled his hips. The fact that we had fallen asleep naked just meant we could save time this morning. With a quick lift of my hips, I impaled myself on his hard length causing both of us to moan loudly. Sleeping naked had it's benefits. Clenching my hands on his chest I began rocking my hips back and forth.

With a tight grip on my hips Daryl flipped us over so he was on top. "Hell no, you were in control last night. Now it's my turn." He growled against my chest before taking my nipple in a stinging bite that caused me to arch my back and rotate my hips.

"If you want to be in control so bad then get to moving." I protested.

He chuckled as he pulled completely out of me before slamming all the way back in. "Don't tell me what to do, baby girl. I can make you cum so hard you'll be seeing stars for hours and you know it."

I grinned up at him as I pulled my legs up to place them on his shoulders. "Oh I know but we don't have time for that this morning." I moaned out as he pistoned in and out of my body over and over in long sure strokes.

With hands braced on either side of my head he leaned into me, basically pressing my body in half as he shortened his deep stroke and added a hip rotation to it which quickly sent me spiraling for the skies and plummeting back down to earth breathlessly. As my depths twitched and squeezed in my orgasm he pressed firmly against me with a deep guttural groan. "You are going to be the death of me one day, woman." He groaned as he flopped over onto the mattress, out of breath.

Pressing my lips quickly to his I climbed from the bed to get cleaned up and start my day. Every night before we retired to the cabin we would walk hand in hand down to the creek and fill our buckets up with water so we could take a bath and have a small bowl of water for the next morning. Once I was clean and dressed I stood in the doorway of the bedroom and listened to Daryl snore lightly in the bed where he lay unabashedly naked. "I love you." I whispered to the sleeping man before quietly leaving the cabin and heading for the kitchen cabin where Rick, Judith, Mika, and Carol were waiting.

"Are you ready for today Mika?" I asked the little girl as I took a cup of the dandelion coffee. Who knew that those pesky little weeds my Dad fought constantly at the farm could be used for so many different things.

The little girl nodded eagerly as she bounced around the room. "Yes! When can we get started?"

Laughing I took a sip of the slightly sweetened coffee before answering the excited little girl. "As soon as Maggie gets here with the milk but we've got to crank the stove up so our milk can boil." I told her without thought until her eyes went wide and darted to Rick. "Oops." I muttered to her as I took another sip of coffee.

"You're boiling milk? What for?" Rick asked with a confused look on his face.

I shook my head and 'zipped' my lips shut while Mika and Carol laughed.

The man was clearly outnumbered and knew it so he threw his hands up and backed out the door with farewells to us and a promise to bring us more wood in a little bit. Just as I was taking the last sip of my coffee Maggie walked in the door, followed by Jill, each carrying a pail of fresh milk. It was nice to see Jill and Maggie getting along since they had taken on the care of the animals together. "Thank you ladies." I told them as I took the pails from them. "Mika, run outside and get the buttermilk from the creek please." I told the rambunctious little girl who was possibly more excited than Carol and I were at our plans for the day.

"Okay!" She quickly ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Jill clamped a hand over her mouth and bolted out the front door while Maggie looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I think she's knocked up." She said as she walked over to pull me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Are you okay with it if she is?" I whispered in her ear.

She pulled back and looked at my face before yanking me back in to a tight hug. "It's a scary though but yeah I'm okay with it."

Mika bursting back through the door with the cooled buttermilk broke Maggie and I apart. "Can we get started now?" She asked eagerly as she handed me the sealed jar.

"Yes, go get your chair pulled up to the stove and we'll get started." I told her as I pecked Maggie on the cheek. "I love you sister."

Maggie beamed brightly as she hugged me one last time before repeating the process with Carol and Mika. "See you soon guys!" She called out as she raced from the kitchen.

With Mika's help, I added a few more logs to the stove so we could get the milk to boiling. Placing the pot on the stove I handed Mika the wooden spoon to stir with. "Stir slowly but continuously, okay? Be sure and get the whole bottom of the pan. We don't need it scorching." I told her as I poured the pails of goat's milk into the pan.

With serious concentration she stirred just like I had instructed while I got the buttermilk and lemon juice ready. Looking at the half empty bottle of old lemon juice I knew I was going to have to find a plant or herb that I could use as a substitute in my recipes. Same for vinegar. I was unable to make a lot of the recipes I found because they called for vinegar and I didn't have any. "It's bubbling, Beth!" Mika cheered on her chair.

"Okay. Keep stirring while I add this then we'll go take it to the shower, okay?" I told her as I slowly added the buttermilk and lemon juice while she stirred. Once it was all stirred together, I grabbed a towel so I could handle the pot without burning myself and carried it to the bathroom where we had placed the wire racks out of the ovens in the bottom of the walk-in shower. Placing the pot on the rack I put the lid on it that Carol handed me from the doorway.

"Think it's going to work?" She asked as she sipped her own cup of dandelion coffee.

I shrugged my shoulders. "We should know after supper." I told her as I closed the door to the bathroom and headed back to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. "Come on, Mika, let's go collect the eggs." I told her as I grabbed her basket off the counter. "Carol, do you want to juice up the berries we got yesterday? I'm thinking of making muffins with some berry syrup and butter."

Carol smiled and shook her head. "You never cease to amaze me. Yeah, I'll get the berries going with some honey and water."

"Sounds good. We'll be back." I told her as I grabbed Mika's hand and walked out the door. Mika always liked going to collect the eggs from the chickens so when we got their pen I undone the gate and let her inside while I waited and took a look around. The fence that surrounded our property on this side wasn't tall by any means, about waist high, but it had carved spikes sticking from it to impale any walker that happened to walk into it. Today, it was all clear and I breathed a sigh of relief at that because maybe we were correct in our assumption that being high up on the mountain would mean less or no walkers.

Mika came out with only five eggs from the nests and a frown. "What's wrong?" I asked her as I held the basket for her to place the eggs into.

"That one chicken won't let me get the eggs from under her." She grumped as she pushed the gate closed behind her.

I chuckled as we headed back towards the kitchen. "She's most likely setting on them. So for the next few weeks we won't mess with her and maybe she'll give us some baby chicks." I explained softly. Mika, Lizzie, and Ryan had originated from Florida before the outbreak so she was a city girl and new hardly nothing about farming and gardening.

"Wow!" Mika said and when she saw Rick, Daryl, Jensen, and her dad standing up the path talking she took off towards them to share the news.

I smiled at them all as I walked past them, knowing Mika would follow soon enough. "Baby chicks, huh?" Daryl said as he caught up to me.

"Apparently so if she stays on them." I told him with a soft smile. "What were you guys talking about?" I asked him softly as I stopped a few feet short of the kitchen door.

When he ran his fingers through his hair I knew immediately I wasn't going to like what he had to say. "The runs for more supplies."

Sighing, I nodded my head. "I know it's a good idea but I still don't have to like it." I grumped irritably.

Daryl's shoulders sagged. "I don't either, really, because I think the more we venture off the mountain the more chances we take of someone getting hurt. But there are things that we just can't make so a run is necessary."

Once again, I nodded my head in agreement. "I'm with you on whatever you decide but just know that if you go so do I." I told him as I popped up on my feet to give him a quick kiss before scurrying towards the kitchen door. "Now, shoo, I've got breakfast to cook." I called over my shoulder as I opened the door.

Looking down at the acorn muffin recipe I groaned when I saw that it called for baking powder and baking soda, both of which I didn't have. I didn't give up though, I did what I always did. Turned to my stash of books. I flipped rapidly through book after book to look for ways to make the muffins without the baking powder and soda. Finally, I hit the jackpot. It was a whole chapter on substitutions. Skimming over it I realized I could use lemon juice or buttermilk instead of the baking powder and soda. Since we had buttermilk staying cool in the mud of the creek I decided to go with that option.

Once I had collected the buttermilk and the butter from the stream I quickly made up the muffin batter and placed it into the butter lined muffin pans before sliding them into the oven portion of the antique stove. I knew I didn't have any extra flour or eggs to make more batter so I sat down in front of the oven and checked the muffins every few minutes, turning them when one side looked more done than the other. Eventually they looked to be done so I pulled them from the over and tossed them in one of the bowls on the table before repeating the process. I watched with a mindful eye as Carol plucked one of the hot muffins from the basket, dipped it into the bowl of berry sauce, and took a big bite. Her eyes widened as she swallowed. "Bad?" I asked as I checked the muffins cooking in the oven, turning them.

She shook her head. "Hell no. Delicious. Here, try a piece." She said handing me a chunk that she had dipped.

Cautiously I took a small bite before my eyes widened like hers had. The tartness of the berries paired with the sweetness of the muffin was a beautiful combination. "Those are really good." I told her once I had chewed my whole piece. "Who knew?" I teased as checked the muffins once again, turning them.

Carol busied herself placing the muffins and berry sauce into the warming rack at the top of the stove before filling a pot of water and setting it to boil on the stove for the teas and coffee that would be served at breakfast along with the muffins. "What kind of tea today?" Carol asked quietly as I pulled the done muffins from the oven and tossing them out into the basket so I could repeat the process all over again.

Breakfast was a massive hit with everybody and I hid my blush in Daryl's shoulder as the praises filled the room as everybody left to do what had to be done for the day.

That was thing about the people that was here, if things needed to get done then everybody pitched in and got it done. Rick and Carl manned the gardens. Carol basically ran the kitchen, helping me try out the recipes I had stacked in my notebook and often offering advice on substitutions and ideas. The kitchen was also my area but I spent most of my days foraging around in the woods to build up our supply before winter hit. Jill had taken over milking the animals every morning and also doing the laundry. The rest of the people pitched in where they were needed; digging pits, building fences, hauling water, chopping wood, patrolling the perimeter, and tending to the animals.

"Come hunting with me?" Daryl asked as I began stacking the plates into the bucket so Mika could wash them once the water she was watching on the stove was warm enough.

Smiling up at him I nodded. "You know you don't have to ask me that. I love hunting with you. Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you at the cabin?"

He placed a kiss to the side of my head before leaving.

"When are you going to tell that man you are in love with him?" Carol asked from where she was screwing the lids back onto the jar of butter and milk that would go in the creek shortly.

I looked up at her with wide eyes. "How did you know? What if he doesn't love me back and is only with me out of convenience?" I asked, voicing my main concern that held me back from saying the words out loud to him though I had said it a bunch of times while he lay in our bed asleep.

"Bullshit. He turned down convenience for you, Beth. In this world now, tomorrow isn't guaranteed, just remember that." She told me with a sad smile as she grabbed the jars and headed outside.

Smiling sadly at her retreating back I carried the tub of dirty dishes outside where Mika washed and rinsed them every morning. "Good." I told her as I came back in to grab the pot of warm water Mika had been intently watching. "Is it warm enough?" I asked her softly.

She nodded with a broad smile. "Yep, it's perfect." She said hopping down from her chair and racing outside ahead of me.

Once inside I grabbed my crossbow and baskets before heading outside to go meet up with Daryl. "I'll be back later!" I called to Carol as I passed her in my rush to my cabin.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

With my hands on Daryl's chest I rocked my hips against his as his hands gripped my hips to help my movements as my legs began quivering with my impending orgasm. "Come on, Beth, give it to me." He begged as he pounded into me from beneath me while moving me back and forth.

"Ungh." I groaned as I ground my hips down against his as my orgasm crested and crashed through my body, basically making me boneless.

A few pumps later I felt him tense underneath me as his grip tightened on my hips. "Oh God!" Daryl cried out as he emptied into me.

Chuckling I shook my head against his chest. "No God here, just me." I murmured softly. It had almost become our thing and I thought it was cute.

"Hmm. That's even better." He moaned as he raised up from the boulder he had been lying on. We were supposed to be hunting; Daryl for animals and me for plants and roots, but we had gotten sidetracked by the beautiful waterfalls. It wasn't the first time we had stopped to take a dip in the clear waters. Things, of course, had gotten carried away as we stripped off our clothes and jumped in the cool water.

Wrapping my arms and legs around him, I clung to him as he eased us back into the pool of water causing me to gasp. It was a shock to my system after getting my temperature up from our mutual work out. As he cupped his hands on my butt, we floated together in the water while gazing at each other, oblivious to the world around us for a change. "I love you." I whispered as I slid my fingers through his wet locks.

He smiled gently at me. "I was wondering when you were going to tell me that to my face." He teased before pulling my face down to his. "I love you too. So damn much." He whispered against my lips.

After our admissions, Daryl hardened within me and we lost our senses in one another again. When we walked back onto the property with wet hair, clinging clothes, and matching smiles Michonne descended on us. "Just what were you two up too? I thought y'all was hunting for food?" She asked with a wide smile on her face.

I buried my face in Daryl's shoulder while his chest vibrated with his laughter. "Yeah well, we got sidetracked a little bit." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Michonne's cackles caused my face to heat up even more. "I'm just glad I stopped Carl and Mika from following after you to tell you the good news."

That caught my interest and brought my face out of Daryl's chest. "What's the good news?"

"Judy crawled a little bit ago." Michonne said with a bright smile. "Now, she's all over the place."

"Really? Where is she?" I asked excited while Daryl simply grunted, kissed the side of my head, and walked off motioning to the fish hanging from his hand that he had caught before we decided to take a swim.

Michonne hooked her arm though mine and led me towards the kitchen where Judith usually spent her days with Mika keeping a watchful eye on her while helping me and Carol. "In the kitchen. Mika is tossing her toys around so Judy will crawl to them."

Bursting through the door of the kitchen cabin I immediately spotted the chubby little girl sitting up in the middle of the living room area. Setting my full baskets on the table I squatted down and clapped my hands. "Come here, Judy girl, crawl to me." I called to the precious little girl that spurred each of us on every day to keep doing what had to be done.

With a big toothy grin she flopped down onto her hands and began coming towards me. When she reached me she climbed her way up onto my knees babbling. "You're getting so big!" I cheered as I stood up with her in my arms. "I knew you could do it, sweet girl." I told her as I placed kisses all over her face and neck causing her laughter to fill the space.

Our celebration was interrupted by Jensen bursting through the back door frantic. "Beth! Something's wrong with Jill!" He wheezed from being out of breath.

I quickly handed off Judith to Mika. "Is she just throwing up?" I asked because if she was pregnant like Maggie suspected then I had some herbs that could help with that.

He shook his head. "No, she was complaining of her stomach cramping earlier but she really started freaking out when she came out of the bathroom because there was blood in her underwear." He whispered as he wrung his hands in his nervousness. "She's pregnant, Beth."

Nodding I quickly squeezed his shoulder as I gave Carol a look that told her I needed her help with this. "Okay, Jensen, we'll take care of Jill but I need you to go get Maggie and Bob for me."

He took a deep breath and practically ran out of the cabin while I headed to the shelf where I had been storing herbs for the past few weeks. "Will you go check on Jill while I make her some tea?" I asked Carol as I flipped through the notebook I had made for what the herbs were used for. Once I found the herbs I was looking for I added the hot water to them creating teas that would help Jill. Grabbing the three jars of teas I raced out of the kitchen towards Jill and Jensen's cabin.

When I entered the upstairs loft I found Jill laying curled in the bed crying while Maggie and Carol sat on the edge of the bed holding her hands. "Jill, I have some things for you to drink if you are sure you are having a miscarriage." I asked as I eased towards the other side of her bed.

She nodded with tear filled eyes. "I've been spotting for a few days but today there was a gush of blood filled with blood clots." She whispered as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "And then the cramping came."

Maggie looked at me with wide eyes. "This is what happened when I miscarried." She told me softly. Carol nodded in agreement to.

"Where's Bob? He's the only one with any medical training around here." I asked as I unscrewed the lid off the first of three small jars of tea. "This is yarrow tea and it will help with the pain and heavy bleeding." I said softly as I handed her the small jar. "It tastes horrible but it will help." I warned her as she brought the warm liquid to her lips cautiously.

Black Cohosh Root tea came next to help relax her uterus so the miscarriage could pass and not cause any lasting defects. And last came St. John's Wort to help her with her anxiety and depression that would undoubtedly follow. "This one will make you sleepy because I fixed it a bit strong so you could relax through what I assume is the worst of it." I explained as she down the last cup of tea before collapsing back on the bed as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Thanks, Beth. I know I've been awful to you in the past but I appreciate you doing all of this for me." She whispered sadly. "Maybe this is karma getting back at me." She cried into her pillow.

"Nonsense. God wouldn't punish an innocent baby because of the actions of it's mother. Plus, both, you and Jensen, have been instrumental in getting this place set up and locating the things we needed." I reminded her as I stood from the bed. "Now, you need to rest and let the herbs do their job. We will carry on with these teas once a day for a week to make sure the baby is completely cleared from your body." I told her as I stood at the top of the stairs with my empty jars in hand. "I'm really sorry this happened to you, Jill. Send Jensen to get me if you need anything." I told her before ducking down the stair and heading back to the kitchen where Mika and Judy were playing in the floor with some of the toys we had grabbed from the other houses.

Mika pounced as soon as I sat the jars down in the wash bucket. "Is Jill going to be okay?" She asked nervously.

"She'll be okay in a few days. Just sore and upset." I told her as I turned to my cookbooks to find something to cook for dinner.


	19. Chapter 19

**Big chapter for our couple!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

Standing in front of the vehicles that were parked behind us at the proverbial fork in the road I eyed the area warily. "Which way?" I asked quietly because we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves if we could avoid it.

"This road" Jensen said pointing to the left fork "leads to some cabin rentals. The other road" he then pointed to the right fork "has a bunch of long driveways with houses scattered around in the woods."

As a group we decided that the right fork was the best option to start with. We needed houses that had stuff stored in it, not vacation rentals. Our cabins had been vacation rentals and had hardly nothing we could use except the floors, walls, and beds. "Let's be quick but efficient. I want us all going back to the cabins in one piece this evening." Rick said as he headed back to the truck.

Instead of pilfering through everything we just took it all. All the clothes, medical supplies, blankets, glass jars, and plastic containers we could find went in our bags or in the back of the 2 SUV's we had brought along with the truck. The fourth house we were on, I was wore out from the stress and walked into one of the upstairs bedroom without knocking on it first and got knocked down by a walker. As I lay there on the floor of the hallway screaming for Daryl I saw my life flash before my eyes as my arms trembled with the strength of holding the walker up by the shoulders to keep it from biting me. "DARYL!" I screamed out again as I felt my arms just about to give. I didn't want to go out this way! I thought to myself as I tried to muster up the strength to flip the damn thing off of me.

Just as I was about to attempt a hell mary maneuver an arrow pierced the walker's head right above my own. "Beth! Are you okay?" Daryl asked frantically as my arms collapsed, the walker falling down onto my chest.

I don't remember Daryl picking me up and rushing me downstairs, or everybody gathering around me as I sat in the chair with glassy eyes, or Maggie pouring her bottle of water over my head, or Michonne slapping my cheeks lightly. "Beth, baby, please come back to me." Daryl's voice snapped me out of my fog and I flung myself into his arms as tears poured down my face. "You scared the living shit out of me, Beth. Don't do no stupid shit like that again, you hear me?" He growled into my ear as he cradled my body against his.

"I'm sorry." I cried into his shoulder. "I love you so damn much." I told him as I wrapped my arms and legs around his body, holding on tightly as I sobbed into his shoulder.

When I finally pulled out of his embrace our family was no longer in the room. "Why is my hair and clothes wet?" I asked Daryl as I pushed myself back from him.

"Maggie poured her bottle of water over your head, trying to snap you out of your daze." He explained tucking a wet strand of hair behind my ear. "Want to tell me what happened?"

I shook my head before ducking it. "It's so stupid and I know better but I was just tired and frustrated at the meager pickings we're finding. I walked into the room without knocking first."

"You can't be doing that, Beth." He growled as he tugged me back against his chest. "I thought I was too late." He whispered against my ear.

Wrapping my arms around his neck I just reveled in his embrace before Maggie interrupted us. "This house is finished."

With a heavy sigh we both stood up, grabbed our crossbows and followed her out. "When I say that this run will be our last, I'm dead serious." I told Daryl as we climbed into the back of the truck.

"You won't hear no arguments from me." He said as he sat down in the bed of the truck next to me. "I got you something." He told me as he held out his hand to me.

I gasped as I saw what was in his hand. "Have you been ring shopping on the walkers we've killed?" I asked him as I plucked the smallish ring from his hand.

"No. I found in a jewelry box. Will you marry me?" He asked softly as he put his hand on my knee. "I was going to ask you tonight when we got to our cabin but now that you've taken 10 years off my life, I figured I better not wait."

Slipping the ring onto my finger I held my hand up to admire it in the sunlight. "Sorry for scaring you into proposing but either way I accept." I told him with a smile as I laid my hand over his on my leg.

"No waiting." He told me with a squeeze of my hand.

"You know, we could just say a few words over dinner like Maggie and Glenn did and call it a done deal."

"Sounds like a plan to me, baby girl. Don't scare me like that again." He whispered against the side of my head. "As a matter of fact, just stay with me this time." He told me as he helped me from the truck as Rick stopped in front of the next house.

The rest of the day Daryl and I cleared rooms together. After searching through what seemed like an endless stream of houses we called it a successful day as the light began to fade under the canopy of the trees and headed for home.

Carol and Mika had taken care of dinner which was the grilled cheese sandwiches using acorn bread, lemon thyme infused goat cheese, basil, and figs with a bowl of tomato soup. "You two never cease to amaze me." Rick said as he spooned some of the mashed up wild banana's into Judith waiting open mouth.

I shook my head as I took a bite of my gooey sandwich. "Nope, this one is all on Carol and Mika." I said before spooning up some of the hot tomato soup.

"Bull. All we did was throw everything together. You picked everything and made everything." Carol said with a smile as she sipped at the rose hip tea Mika had wanted to try.

With a shrug of my shoulders I picked my sandwich up once again.

When everybody was finished and Carl was picking up the dinner dishes to help Mika wash them Daryl cleared his throat and I knew it was time to make our announcement. "I asked Beth an important question today." Daryl said as a blush stole across his cheeks. He hated being the center of attention.

"And I said yes of course." I said with a bright smile as I held my ring up for all the women to see.

"Did you walker shop for a ring today while we were clearing houses?" Maggie asked with a frown as she checked out my ring.

Daryl scoffed at what she implied. "Absolutely not. I raided a jewelry box for it."

The entire table cracked up and that was the end of the conversation except the congratulations that came our way as we all stood from the table to finish our evening chores before it got too dark outside. None of us liked being outside after dark because the moonlight didn't shine too well through the canopy of the trees.

When I walked into mine and Daryl's cabin after helping Mika dry the dinner dishes I was shocked to see our blankets and pillows piled on top of the futon mattress that had been pulled to the floor in front of the fireplace that was lit. The nights got chilly as we headed into the fall months. "Daryl?" I called out as I shut the door behind me, locking it, and shucking my boots and jacket.

"In here." He called from the bathroom which was basically useless without the water we hauled in from the creek just outside our cabin.

The bathroom was lit up with several of the tea candles he had found today and he was pouring a bucket of steaming water into the bathtub. "What are you doing?" I asked softly.

"Fixing us a bath to wash off all the bad from today." He told me with a smile.

I instantly began stripping off my clothes.

After our bath, Daryl ran the towel gently over my body. "You really scared me today, Beth. I was worried you would not come back here with me. Worried we wouldn't have the future you write about in your journal. I want all of that with you so badly." He whispered as he ran the towel over my body, absorbing the water droplets from my skin before softly toweling my wet hair.

"This is the start of that future, husband." I told him as I took the towel from him and began repeating the process with him. "You were one of the first things I thought about when that walker was snapping his teeth at me. I thought about how badly I wanted to call you my husband. How badly I wanted to carry your children. How badly I wanted to grow old with you." I told him as I tossed the towel into the basket that Jill would come around and collect in the morning so she could wash it.

Daryl swooped down, scooping me into his arms, carrying me to the pallet he had made in front of the fire. "Let me love you." He whispered against my lips.

I nodded as I sunk my fingers into his wet hair.

Later that night, by the light of the fire, I wrote another entry into the Survival Mountain journal.

 _Day 67_

 _Today we went on what will be our final run. It was another impressive haul because these mountains have been either been deserted by the previous occupants or they've turned; though there aren't many walkers in the areas we've been. Jill was actually smiling tonight at dinner which is a big improvement from her depression she's been in since the loss of her baby._

 _Daryl and I made a big announcement tonight after dinner. We're married now. It's sort of strange to just go from being a couple to being married but what's the point of an engagement these days? It's not as if there are priests around, and weddings to plan, so it's the way of the new world. You want to get married, you are married._

 _We should be entering into winter pretty soon. The days are getting cooler and the night are too. Thankfully, we have picked and stored an impressive haul from the gardens, and from the forests around us. Judy tried the banana and goat milk baby food for the first time tonight and actually loved it so I'm super proud of that! We had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner tonight. It's the first time we've had grilled cheese since the world changed._

 _I think we are going to be okay for the winter with all the food we have stored in the creek bed and root cellars._

"Are you about done recording the happenings of today?" Daryl asked from behind me.

Sticking my ink pen into the spiral of the notebook I tossed it aside as I looked over at the man I now got to call my husband. "Why? You finally recuperated enough?" I teased playfully.

He growled and snatched me to his chest. "I'm about to show you what that smart mouth of yours gets you." He said as he nipped my bottom lip with his teeth.

I just smiled at him in anticipation. "Do your worst." I waggled my eyebrows to tempt him further.

He rolled me over onto my stomach before straddling my legs. "You sure you're ready for this?" He growled as he twisted my arms behind my back and put a little weight on them, essentially pinning my chest to the mattress.

"Yes." I groaned as he pushed my knees up under me.

With his free hand he slapped me hard across the ass causing both of us to moan loudly. "Your ass looks beautiful when it's pink from my hand." He whispered as he slapped his hand across it again.

"Daryl….please." I begged from my helpless position. He had me pinned good and I couldn't move at all, not that I wanted to.

Shifting his hips backwards he lined his straining length up with my slick folds and slid fully inside in one quick movement. My legs and hips shook from the sensations as he fell forward over my sloped back, groaning into the back of my neck. "So good. You okay?"

I nodded eagerly. "Just move." I begged him shamelessly.

He didn't deny me, pounding into me hard with long strokes while his hand kept me pinned in place. I gasped when I felt his wet thumb press slightly against my rosebud that he had asked about a few times. "Daryl…."

"Shh." He whispered as he pressed his hips tight against mine. "Trust me." He breathed as his finger breeched my entrance causing my body to go rigid. "Relax. Take a deep breath and relax."

Putting all my faith and trust into Daryl was easy because I knew he would never do anything to hurt me or something that I didn't like. Following his instructions allowed my body to sink back into the mattress and just feel what he was doing to my body. "Oh!" I breathed out as he pulled his length out of me as his finger massaged my back entrance.

"Feel good?" He asked as he slid his length and finger into me at the same time.

I nodded rapidly against the mattress as I felt the coil spring tight within my lower stomach. "Yes! Harder!" I begged as I tried to move my hips against his but he just pushed against me and held them there.

"Patience, baby, patience." He growled as he pulled out of me excruciatingly slow before slamming all the way back in scooting me forward on the mattress. Releasing my arms from behind my back he repositioned them so that our fingers were linked on the bed beside my head as he ground his hips against mine causing us both to fall over the edge into oblivion.

* * *

 **Just a few chapters left folks!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Over the months that we made the mountain cabins our home every inhabitant there came to realize that nothing was ever just thrown away. The sawdust from the guys sawing logs and cutting up heater wood was saved and used in the root cellar buckets and boxes. The water from boiling the acorns was bottled and saved in case someone got into some poison ivy or oak. The scraps we had leftover from meals was mixed with leaf bits, sawdust, and dirt to create a compost pile that we could mix with the dirt of the garden areas come spring. The abundance of leaves around our property was used as bedding for the animals. The dirt from the trenches we dug as a form of protection instead of a fence was used to build up the garden spots into flatter areas and also to build out a hill around the root cellar refrigerators. The old plumbing pipes that were no longer used was re-purposed to create the vent pipes to the refrigerator root cellars. The plug ins of the old electrical appliances was used to tie things together, such as the gates to the animal pens. Recipes that went horribly wrong or milk that had soured or acorn flour that had soured all went to the animals for food. The old stoves had been placed down the mountain road a ways to create a barricade from walkers coming up the road as well as humans who may have a notion to drive up on us. I was hoping to actually throw something away today, for the first time.

"What do you think about me taking my birth control implant out?" I asked Daryl as we got dressed for the day just as the sun was starting to peak through the trees.

Daryl stopped all movement as he looked at me with wide eyes. "Why? You in a rush to have a baby?"

I shook my head. "No but there are no guarantees in life so who's to say that we can even get pregnant?"

"I think we should wait until we are a little more established here before we talk about having a baby that can be prevented right now." He whispered to me softly before his lips crooked up in a smirk. "Plus, I like having you all to myself once the sun goes down. Do I really have to start sharing you so soon? We just got married six weeks ago."

With a sigh I nodded in understanding. "It was just a thought but I see your point. It runs out this next summer and will have to be removed then anyways."

"Are you disappointed?" He asked as he resumed pulling his boots on, tucking his jeans down inside to keep them dry.

I shook my head. "No. It was just a thought, especially since Jill had her miscarriage." It had been several weeks since Jill's miscarriage and it showed me that anything could happen even though we were relatively safe up on our mountaintop. "Plus Carol keeps hinting that the winter time is the best time to be pregnant and in case you've forgotten, it's winter."

Placing a kiss to the side of my head. "We're not having kids by somebody else's schedule. Just our own. Who knows? You may be knocked up next winter." He snarked as he held my thick wool lined winter jacket we had found on the last raid up for me to slide my arms in. "I love you, Beth Dixon."

Gripping the sides of his jacket I pulled him down for a kiss. "I love the sound of that." I whispered against his lips. "I love you too." I whispered as I sunk back down to my flat feet. "Now, I've got breakfast to cook."

Apparently, I wouldn't be throwing anything away today on purpose.

Once in the kitchen I quickly started the fire in the stove and the fireplace to get the place warmed up so my teeth would stop chattering and I could get started on breakfast. Going to the couch we kept there for whoever got the joy of churning the butter for the day, I grabbed the thick blanket off the back of it and bundled up in it until the stove got going really good. Carol and I usually alternated mornings of dealing with the cold room as the stove got going and today was my turn.

Once I could feel the warmth start to spread throughout the room I got up to put on a pot of water to boil as I got the percolator ready for the dandelion coffee. Grabbing the large jars of dried wild rose hips and dandelion roots off the shelf I spooned the dandelion root into the percolator before filling with the warming water and setting it over the hot wood box. I was just adding the rose hips and petal to the remaining boiling water when Carol and Mika walked in making exaggerated teeth chattering noise while giggling. Since Mika's father and sister hadn't made it out of the prison alive, Carol had stepped in as a surrogate mother to the precious little girl. "Good morning ladies. The tea and coffee are almost ready." I told them as I began setting cups out on the table amid Mika's groans.

"Do we have to drink that tea every day?" She asked going to grab the jar of honey from shelf.

"Are your finger, toes, and nose cold?" I asked her as I began spooning a small drop of honey into the three cups I had on the table.

She nodded with a frown. "Yes ma'am."

"Then we have to drink this tea. We don't want to get sick now do we?" I asked her as I stirred the wild rose hip tea that was said to ward off colds and the flu.

"No. It's just nasty." She grumped as she took a seat at the table, her chin resting on her folded arms. She wasn't the best morning person either until it came time to cook, then she perked up because she liked to help out.

Carol and I laughed at her as she basically glared at the small coffee cup on the table that she had claimed a long while ago. Once the 'tea' was boiling I used a ladle to fill the cups before placing a spoon in each and passing them out. I had to bite my lip when Mika pinched her nose and tossed back the liquid, her body squirming as she swallowed it. "Done." She said shoving the cup back over to me. "What's for breakfast?"

We settled easily into the same routine we had every morning.

Or so I thought as someone knocked on the front door while we were doing cleanup from breakfast. Since winter had fully taken over the place, we all tended to stay indoors in the big house, as the kitchen and clinic had been dubbed, unless we absolutely had to be outside for some reason.

Rick walked over and looked out the side window and a frown came over his face. "It's Rosita and Tara." He said as he began undoing the locks that hardly ever got undone since we used the back door for our main entrance to keep the front from looking walked over.

"I wonder what they're doing out in this weather." I commented as I put a pot of water on to boil to fix them some tea to warm them up. The thermometer, last I checked, had said it was 28 degrees outside. Too damn cold to be anywhere but inside with a fire going. Looking around the room I smiled at the several groupings our people had split up into. We were doing what families used to do when it was too cold outside; occupying ourselves indoors. The decks of cards, game boards, puzzles, books, and crayons had come out in full swing after breakfast. "Let them in before they freeze to death." I told Rick who looked to be hesitating.

With a smile at me he pulled open the door ushering them inside before shutting the door quickly behind them. "Ladies, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Rick asked as we all turned to look at them.

"We came to grovel and beg for a place to survive the winter." Rosita said in her no-bullshit way.

Scooping the hot tea over the honey in the cups Carol had placed on the table I beckoned them over to the fireplace. "Come get warm and you can elaborate." I told them holding out the two cups to them.

Rosita sniffed it before frowning at me. "What is this? You trying to poison us because we left with Abe and Eugene instead of staying here to help you?"

Mika looked up at her from where she was playing CandyLand with Michonne and Maggie. "Are your hands, feet, and nose cold?" She asked the same question I asked her every morning.

I had to bite my lips to keep from smiling and giggling at her adorableness. When Rosita looked at me in confusion I simply raised my eyebrow and cocked my head to the side, letting her know without words that she needed to answer the question posed by the little girl. "Yes, but what does that have to do with this foul smelling stuff?" Rosita asked me.

"This will keep you from getting sick. I stirred a bit more honey in yours than I normally do to make it a little less bitter. If you are going to be around my family then you need to drink that tea." I told them with a firm voice.

Tara quickly tipped hers back with a shudder before handing me the cup back. "Thanks, Beth. It's like tossing back a stiff drink." She said with a small smile at me. I felt like she was buttering me up for their real reason for being here.

"Yeah, nobody likes it but it's kept us from having more than just the sniffles this winter so far. Though I have a tea for the sniffles too, don't I Carl?" I asked turning to the boy who had thought he could slip by me without having to down anything a few weeks ago.

He nodded before his face twisted into a grimace. "It's worse than the wild rose tea. Trust me."

The entire room chuckled before Rick turned to Tara and Rosita who had yet to drink her rapidly cooling tea. "I advise you to drink that tea or she will put you out of this kitchen. This is her territory." He said with a nod in my direction.

I blushed under his praise but had to smile when Rosita tossed back the tea with the usual shudder and handed me back the cup. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"Where are Abraham and Eugene?" Rick asked as I went to wash the cups in the still warm dish water sitting on the table since it was too cold to wash outside.

"Dead." Rosita said as a sad look came over her face. "Abraham killed Eugene when he finally admitted that D.C. was just a ruse to get us to protect him. After that we found a home with some others and it was all good for a while but then a crazy man came and started just randomly killing people with a barb-wire covered bat he calls Lucille."

Tara finished since tears started pouring down Rosita's face. "Abraham wouldn't kneel and beg like a dog so Negan smashed his head in with Lucille. Once the psycho left with whatever he could find, the rest of us packed up what we needed and left that same night. It's taken us two months to get here because we've tried to cover our tracks so he won't ever be led to here. We've been to Indiana, Arkansas, and then made our way over here. We've lost people and picked up people along the way."

Rosita finally got ahold of herself and took over once more. "We are begging for your to let us stay here. We have a baby that is going to die soon if we don't find her suitable shelter and food soon."

I watched curiously as Tara raised an eyebrow in Rosita's direction but Rosita quickly shook her head. "It's not important, Tara." She whispered to her.

"Secrets won't get you welcomed here, Rosita. What are you hiding?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest as I glared in their direction.

Rosita sighed and let her eyes slide closed for a few minutes before looking at me with tear filled eyes. "I'm possibly pregnant." She whispered quietly but it was heard throughout the room. Maggie, Jill, and Sasha all gasped at her announcement. Maggie and Jill I understood but not Sasha. That was something I would ask about later but right now we had people to save.

"Where are they now?" I asked as I began pulling things off the shelf to fix a good hearty soup for lunch so the newcomers can have something to eat. Our regular bunch was used to eating only 2 meals a day; breakfast and dinner. "Carol, can you and Glenn go grab a few potatoes, carrots, an onion, and some greens from the root cellar?" I asked as I waited for an answer from Rosita. "We'll have lunch today."

She pointed in the direction I knew the rock hostel building was located. "We left our vehicles at the blockade and walked up to the other building down the road. I told everybody to stay there while we came to talk to you. If you don't want us here we will find somewhere else."

I shook my head as I added two more logs to the embers of the wood stove. "Go get them. We've got the extra cabins but if anything goes wrong, I will personally blame you." I told her with a pointed glare.

"Okay. Thanks Beth. We'll be right back." Rosita said as she and Tara headed for the front door.

"Wait!" I called to them and pointed to the keys that were hanging on the wall. "Take a vehicle. You don't need to be walking in the cold air. The keys are hung in the same order the cars are lined up outside. Take two if you need to."

They nodded and each grabbed a set of keys before busting out the door.

I was busy adding the rest of the water to a pot to fix some more Wild Rose tea when I realized I wouldn't have enough to make soup. Just as I was about to ask someone to go get some Rick was there with a smile. "Will one bucket be enough?"

Nodding at him I smiled up at him. "It is okay for them to bring the others and stay here, right?" I asked, suddenly nervous I had overstepped my place.

Rick shrugged. "Why you asking me? Didn't you know we all look to you for everything?" He asked with a chuckle before donning his winter gear and heading out the back door to get me a bucket of water.

"What?" I asked disbelievingly as he disappeared from sight. Being so lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear Daryl approach until he pulled me in his arms, placing a kiss to the side of my head whispering "absolutely amazing".

Giving Daryl a quick hug and peck on the lips I shrugged off Rick's comment as I started getting things ready to make a good creamy soup for our newcomers. "Love you." I whispered to Daryl as I pulled a skillet off the hook on the wall and set it on the stove to fry up some onions and garlic in the leftover butter from breakfast.

"Love you too." He whispered back before going back to the table where all the guys were playing a rambunctious game of poker. Too bad I was too busy to whip them all at the game.

"Mika, can you run and grab me a clean bottle from the back room and a jar of the baby food we made last week?" I asked without looking up, knowing she would pause her game and do what I asked.

A few minutes later she came back, but with an extra jar. Powdered eggs. "Maybe the new baby can eat some eggs too?" She asked softly.

Smiling down at her I nodded and took the jar from her. Like the milk, powdering eggs had been trial and error but we eventually got the method down and put all our extra eggs into the jars lining the numerous shelves in the back room. "We'll see how old she is but she may just like these eggs." I tweaked her on the nose and shooed her back to her game.

Rick, Carol, and Glenn returned at the same time as there was another knock on the front door. "Thanks guys." I told my 'helpers' as I took their bounty and continued getting the soup ready while Tyrese opened the front door to reveal quite a large group of people.

 _Survival Mountain_

 _Day 112_

 _Today was a massive day for our mountain community. We got 10 new residents that want to make this place their home. They come from a bad situation that I truly hope doesn't follow them here, though their villain is a few states away in northern Virginia._

 _New community members:_

 _Adults:_

 _Paul 'Jesus' Rovia_

 _Aaron Raliegh_

 _Rosita Espinosa (possibly pregnant)_

 _Aiden Monroe_

 _George Nolton_

 _Tara Chambler_

 _Denise Cloyd_

 _Children:_

 _Enid Mann (17)_

 _Gracie (baby, not crawling)_

 _Oliver Pekin (8)_

 _This influx of new people in the dead of winter will hurt our food supply but we will still be okay. I started them on the Wild Rose tea immediately today to ward off any cold or flu they may have picked up travelling here. They had scavenged along the way and added 6 new vehicles as well as supplies to our stores._

 _Tomorrow will be the first day Carol, Mika, and I have to feed everybody. It's going to be interesting. At least the baby food I made won't go bad with Gracie around. The precious thing is severely underweight but so was Judy when we first came here. Judy, used to being the only baby around, doesn't know what to think of not being the center of everyone's world but she'll adjust._

 _While the newcomers ate the soup and sliced of cheese and pepper jelly Rick and Daryl explained that to conserve on wood we put at least two people to a cabin since there were two beds and a fold out couch in each. Our group already lived by that policy and had since it started getting cold._

 _Daryl and I_

 _Glenn and Maggie_

 _Tyrese, Sasha, and Bob_

 _Rick, Judith, Carl, and Michonne_

 _Carol and Mika_

 _Jensen and Jill_

 _Some of the newcomers didn't really like that idea but we were firm in our stance so they eventually picked a roommate._

 _Denise and Tara were dating so they quickly picked a cabin for them and Oliver, who they had taken over caring for._

 _Aaron, who was taking care of Gracie, agreed to share a cabin with Paul or Jesus as he liked to be called._

 _Aiden and Rosita agreed to share a cabin._

 _Maggie and Glenn stepped forward and offered their spare room to Enid, who accepted begrudgingly._

 _Carol stepped forward and offered her and Mika's spare room to George, who accepted gratefully._

Daryl's arms sliding up my bare leg made me stop writing and put my focus on him. "Feeling mischievous, sir?" I asked as I sat the notebook on my nightstand along with my personal one.

He shook his head as he grasped my ankle tugging me down to him. "Nope, just tired of waiting for you to get done writing in that damn notebook." He growled against my stomach as he used his nose to push my shirt up. "Your husband demands your attention."

"Oh really?" I asked as I gripped his sides with my legs and rolled him over. "Well, we can't have you being unsatisfied." I told him as I slithered down his body until I was between his knees on the floor as I undone the closure of his pants. "Now can we?"

With a shake of his head, he raised his hips up so I could tug his pants down, before sinking my mouth over his length. "God…" He moaned out as he bucked his hips up, sending his length down my throat.

I pulled off of him and glared at him. "No God here, husband, just me." I growled as I licked up his length before sinking back down over him.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The next morning after the spinach, goat cheese, and squirrel quiches were devoured one of the newcomers spoke up. "Do you happen to have an extra baby bed around here somewhere?" The guy I holding Gracie asked.

I nodded because when we had gone on the run for winter clothes I had suggested loading two baby beds into the back of the truck so we could pile more stuff in them plus when folk around here started reproducing the extra baby beds may come in handy. "Yeah, there are two stored upstairs. We can help you get it for you after breakfast is done." I told him with a smile. "How is she tolerating the goats milk?" I asked him nodding at the baby in his arms.

"Great. She actually slept through the night last night, didn't wake up a single time till this morning." Aaron said as he smiled down at Gracie. "She's really lucky we made it here when we did. We have been rationing out the last can of formula we found and were down to the last bit."

I nodded in understanding. "We were like that when Judy was born too, we hunted and scavenged like crazy for some formula. I'll juice up some carrots in a little bit and add that juice into her next bottle for some iron supplement." I told him because I had spent a few hours last night reading a book about goat's milk and babies.

"How do you know all these things?" he asked softly.

Shrugging I stood up to take my plate to the pan we used for washing. "I read a lot. We have a room upstairs full of books if any of you would like to get one and read them. All I ask is that when you are finished with it, put it back." I told him as I scooped some water into the huge pot I used for boiling water.

"This place is almost too good to be true." Rosita said with a soft smile. "The things you guys have accomplished in the six months we were gone is amazing. Who knew we could be eating a delicious quiche in the middle of the zombie apacolypse?"

The entire table chuckled and said as one "Beth did" which caused me to blush furiously.

After the breakfast dishes were cleared from the table Tyrese, Bob, Aiden, and Aaron disappeared upstairs to get the baby bed as well as some of the clothes and baby stuff Judith had outgrown while I got the pans ready for washing. "Oliver? Do you want to come help Mika with the dishes?" I asked the little boy who just sat quietly to himself in a kitchen chair.

He nodded and came over to where Mika was waiting. "One can wash and the other can rinse, okay?" I told them as I held out the rag that was used for washing.

"I can wash." Oliver said softly.

Mika smiled and nodded. "Okay, and tomorrow we can swap." She said as she spread the drying towel out next to her rinse pans.

Spotting Daryl standing staring out the window I walked to him, wrapping my arm around his waist as I tucked myself under his arm. "You okay?" I asked him softly.

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, just thinking I need to go hunting for some more meat."

"That's not a bad idea. I could use some more rose hips and pine needles." I told him as looked out the window at the white landscape before us.

"Pine needles? What the hell you going to do with them?" He growled against my hair. As much as the man groaned and growled about eating weeds he devoured and praised every meal I put on our tables.

Chuckling against him I looked up at him. "I can make a tea that will help if someone happens to catch a cold but I need fresh green pine needles."

"Damn woman, is there nothing you can't do?" He asked as he bent down to place his lips against mine in a quick gentle kiss.

I shrugged. "I don't know but I'm going to keep trying things until I can't try anymore. Some more nuts wouldn't hurt either."

He nodded. "Grab your baskets and bow and we'll go."

When we walked back into camp that evening we were both fairly frozen to the core but it had been a successful day for both of us. Both of the baskets I had taken with me were overflowing from my foraging and Daryl had several rabbits hanging from his belt as well as a nice size deer hanging from his back.

"Can we try to tan the hide?" I asked him softly as we approached the camp via the tree bridge over the walker pits.

"Yeah, we've managed to get the squirrel hides to turn out good so I don't see why we can't try it with the deer. No sense in throwing the hides away if we can use it for something." He said as he shifted the animal on his back.

I nodded. "Once we sheer the sheep I want to try to make some clothes for us. Maybe some moccasins and a wool lined leather jacket. The book I found about tanning hides says it's possible and even has a pattern in there that I would just have to enlarge."

"You never stop, do you?" He asked with a chuckle as he headed for the makeshift lean to he used for skinning and cutting up his kills.

"We can't, Daryl. We have to keep learning new things because what we have is going to eventually wear out and supplies are going to run out if we don't make our own." I explained though he already knew my view on things.

Placing his lips against mine stopped my rant. "I love you. Go get your ash water ready and send a few of the guys out to help me please."

"Okay. Love you too." I told him as I hurried to the kitchen with my full baskets. "Daryl needs some help skinning and cutting up the deer he found." I told the room and instantly Rick, Tyrese, Jensen, and Aiden jumped up to grab their coats and boots.

Aiden stopped at the prep table where I was laying my finds out in their separate piles. "Just a quick question." He said cautiously and because of where his gaze was staying I had a good feeling of what his question was going to be but I nodded for him to continue anyways. "We're not having pine needle soup for dinner are we?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "No. They're in case someone gets a cold. I can make a tea to help them get over it." I explained once I got my giggles under control.

He smiled at me. "Okay, just making sure though I'm sure you could make pine needle soup taste amazing."

"Thanks." I told him as he headed out the door with the other guys.

While the ones that had been here since day 1 knew what was going on when I started doing something crazy like mixing our cooled ashes with water to soak the deer hide in to remove the hair the newcomers looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Um, Beth, what are you doing?" Tara asked as she approached the table where I was making the ash slurry.

"Fixing this up for Daryl to soak the hide off the deer he killed." I explained as I used the wooden stick I reserved for this process to stir the ashes into the water. "It removes the hair so he can work the hide into a soft leather." I told her as I blew a tendril of my hair out of my face.

"Oh."

Looking up at her I smiled at her still curious face. "We have a few sheep that are going to need sheering in the spring that we will then turn into yarn. Then using the animal leathers, wool, and cotton we are planning to grow we can make our own clothes."

She looked at me with wide eyes. "Wow. You're seriously cool, you know that?"

"Thanks, I guess." I told her as I sorted my finds out into their own piles as Mika ran over, excited to help.

Once she saw the acorns I had found she quickly grabbed her bucket and scooped some into it before filling it with water. She could almost make the acorn flour without my help we had made it so much. "What are you doing?" Tara asked Mika as she settled in to watch the acorns so she could pick out the floaters.

"Picking out the bad acorns. These have worms in them so they can't be used for making flour." She explained as she held one up that had floated to the top. "Want to help?" She asked Tara. I couldn't help but smile as Tara sank to the floor across the bucket from Mika and began asking questions about the acorn and how to make flour.

Realizing that Mika had used most of my water I looked around the room and spotted Maggie eyeing me with a smile on her face. "Hey Mags, do you mind going to get me some more water?" I asked as I poured what was left into the pot that we would use to flash boil the acorns once Mika was done with them.

"Sure thing sister. Come on Glenn." Maggie said as she and Glenn came over to grab the two buckets that were now empty.

I smiled at them as they walked out the door with their hands clasped between them. Taking a knife I began cutting all the ends off the rose hips and splitting them in half so I could dry them on the drier for storage. "What are we doing with the pine needles?" Carol asked curiously.

"I'm going to dry them out along with the hips and they can be used for teas to cure a cold or so the book says." I told her with a smile because while I experimented with really crazy ideas they never came from me, they came from all the books I had found in read. The thing about scavenging through houses in the mountains was the people had all tried their hands at living off the earth and there was an abundance of books about it.

She simply shook her head as she went to get the drier, volunteering George, to help her lift it up onto the stove.

Over the next several weeks it was really amazing how the newcomers had quickly became a part of our family unit seamlessly. It was five weeks after they had joined our family when Sasha finally decided to approach me. I knew something was going on with her but I knew she would come to me in her own time. "Beth?" She asked as I stood at the prep table with all my seed packets spread out before me deciding which seat were going to be planted where come spring.

I smiled over at her. "Yep, what's up?" I asked as I stacked all of the vegetable greens together to be planted in one bed.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted out causing me to fumble and drop the packages onto the floor.

Instinctively I pulled her into a hug and began congratulating her. "Are you not excited?" I asked her when I saw the tears in her eyes.

She shook her head. "I'm more scared than anything. Especially after what happened with Jill and Maggie."

Pulling her back into a hug I led her over to the couch that was vacant since everybody was gathered around the table playing Candy Land with the little kids. "Just because they lost their babies, doesn't mean the same will happen to yours. Look at Rosita, she's progressing fine in her pregnancy, especially now that she's eating regularly." I told her as I pointed to Rosita, small baby bump and all, who was reading a pregnancy book from the library room upstairs. "How far along are you?" I asked softly.

"About two months. I had just missed a period when they all came." She explained softly. "Bob says I'm overexaggerating and that women were having miscarriages long before the world turned upside down." She huffed out a laugh.

"You're going to have to give that man a hug for me." I told her as I smiled over at her. "Maggie's miscarriage was caused by the stressful situation she was put through and Jill's was just a rare occurrence. You know that, Sasha." I told her even though the birthing process worried me a bit because of what had happened to Lori but again, that was a rare occurrence.

She sighed and nodded. "I do but it doesn't make the situation any less scary though."

"Nope, it doesn't but we're all here when you need us. Now, do you want to help me figure out where to plant what seeds and seedlings?" I asked her

Quicker than I expected she jumped up shaking her head. "Hell no, I'll kill the plants. This is all on you."

I laughed at her retreating form.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 _Survival Mountain_

 _Day 298_

 _Today we added another addition to our family. Chance Ford Monroe was born mid-morning and is a beautiful healthy little boy. Using the kitchen scales he weighed in at 8 pounds 12 ounces. He's a big boy but at least mom and baby are both healthy and recovering from the ordeal._

 _Sasha and her baby are next. In about six weeks._

 _On the production side of things: We got the last of the wheat berries ground into flour today and the stems all stacked in the new shed for winter bedding and snacks for the goats and chickens. I also completed my first pair of rope sandals today with the braided animal leather strips and Mika loves them!_

 _To know that I will be able to make shoes and clothes for our family is a big relief since we are apparently going to be continuously adding to it. Maggie and Glenn announced tonight at dinner that they were expecting a baby in about 6 months._

Closing the journal that I wrote in to keep track of the progress of our small community I looked out the back door and watched Daryl as he relaxed in the hammock he had made from tree vines. Picking up the small bladed knife off the kitchen counter I walked outside to get his help. I could go to the two people that had medical training but I trusted Daryl with my life and knew he would never intentionally hurt me. "What are you doing?" He asked as he eyed the small blade in my hand warily. Usually when I came after him with a knife it was to trim his hair which he always grumbled about. "My hair was just trimmed a few weeks ago."

I nodded as I sat on the small table beside his hammock. "It's time." I told him simply as I handed him the knife.

He immediately knew what I was talking about. "Damn that time flew by didn't it?"

I nodded as he climbed from his spot to kneel before me. "Why are you so nervous about having a baby with me?" I asked softly as he looked at me with sad scared eyes.

Sitting cross legged on our deck he hung his head as he picked at his fingernails with the knife. It would have to be resterilized. "I don't know how to be a good father, Beth. My old man was a mean son of a bitch. Look at how Merle and I turned out. I don't want to do that to an innocent baby. I can't do it."

With a sigh I slipped off my seat and into his lap, wrapping my legs behind his back as my hands cupped his face forcing him to meet my eyes. "You didn't know how to be a good husband either. Now did you?"

He shook his head as his hands wrapped around my back, cupping my ass in his palms. "No but you're easy to be married to."

"It's because you are a _good_ man, Daryl Dixon. You would still be an amazing husband even if I bitched and moaned and groaned all day every day because you are a good man. And you will be an _amazing_ father to our children." I told him firmly as my fingers slipped past his cheeks and into his hair.

Resting his forehead against mine he sighed. "How can you be so confident in me?"

"Simple. I love you and I know you."

"You do." He whispered against my lips. "I love you so damn much. I can't lose you."

Tugging on his hair he tipped his head back so I could see his eyes. "You aren't going to lose me. Your love is what keeps me going each day." I whispered before planting my lips against his, my intention of getting my implant removed completely forgotten.

As our lips slid against one another Daryl removed the shorts I only wore once we retired to our cabin. "No panties?" He asked as he laid me back on the deck so he could tug my shorts off my legs.

I shook my head as I moved my legs to assist him in his deed. "What's the point?" I huffed as he ran his fingers through my wetness.

"True." He muttered as he lifted my hips to his mouth and licked me from back to front in one long swipe.

I growled as my back arched even further in the air. "Daryl…" I whined when he flicked playfully at my swollen nub.

"You are greedy, woman." He told me as he lowered me back to his lap before sliding his hands up my back to tug me back up against him. "I love you, Beth."

Sliding my hands through his hair, cupping the back of his head I pressed my forehead against his. "I love you, Daryl." I whispered before he stole my words and breath away with his deep kisses that seared my soul.

Without breaking our kiss he heaved us up from the floor of the deck and into the hammock with me sprawled on top of him. "You do love this position." I giggled playfully as I sat up on his thighs so I could get his jeans undone.

"It's a good one." He grunted as he shifted his hips so I could lower his pants down until he could kick them off. When we rocked precariously in the hammock we both laughed but it died at the sound of his jeans hitting the deck floor. "Stop stalling, wife, and get up here."

"Now who's being greedy?" I teased as I crawled up his body until his length was poised at my lower lips.

His hands tightened on my hips as he jerked his hips up, sheathing himself deep within me causing us both to groan. We made slow passionate love right there in the hammock on our deck where we promptly fell asleep until the sun in our faces woke us up. We were still joined. "Today is going to suck." Daryl groaned as we climbed from the hammock. He was holding his back. "I'm getting too old for this shit and you want to add kids for me to chase around to the mix." He teased as we scooped our clothes up and headed inside to clean up and make ourselves presentable.

We were the last to walk into the kitchen that morning. Cat calls and wolf whistles met our ears as we took our seats at the table so Carol, Mika, and Oliver could serve us breakfast. I didn't think the blush was ever going to leave my cheeks but it did eventually when I handed Daryl another sterilized knife to do what we got distracted from doing last night. "It needs to be taken out. I don't want an infection or something to set up. I'm not sure what the side effects of leaving it in are but without a doctor or hospital to run to, we're not taking any chances." I told him as we headed upstairs to the small clinic we had sat up but so far hadn't used except for Rosita to give birth in yesterday and to stitch up Oliver's leg when he had fallen out of a tree and gashed his shin open.

"Okay. Why aren't you getting Bob or Denise to do this?" He asked as we walked into one of the bedrooms.

I shook my head. "Don't trust nobody to cut into my arm except you." I told him as I pointed to the dresser where our meager medical supplies sat. "Use the tweezers to pull the rod out."

Twenty minutes later the small white stick lay on the dresser and Daryl and I lay side by side in the bed. "Thank you." I whispered as I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging lightly on the strands.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Anytime."

We lay like that for a while just breathing each other in, not saying anything. Daryl finally broke the silence with a statement that let me know he had fully accepted what this meant for us. "I will be the one to deliver our baby into this world. Ain't nobody else gonna get a look at what's mine."

Giggling I rolled him over onto his back. "Yes sir." I told him between giggles as I straddled his body, placing my hands flat on the bed on either side of his head. "Are we going to spend the day in bed?"

"Maybe. I think we deserve a lazy day, don't you?" He whispered as he leaned up to take my lips in a quick kiss. "No time like the present to get started on those babies I'm going to deliver."

And that is exactly what we did. We came down to more ribbing at dinner time before quickly escaping back to our cabin as soon as our plates were cleared. Daryl practically attacked me as soon as the door was shut behind us. "Now." I growled as I pushed my hips back against his.

He slapped a hand across my bare ass causing both of us to groan. "You need to learn some patience, woman."

"No. I want you inside of me. Now." I growled as I wiggled my bare bottom against his jean clad erection. "Daryl…" I whined when he didn't move.

Taking a step forward he pressed me flat against the wall with the front of his body pressed against the back of mine. We were touching from head to toe. Naked against dressed. Needy against teasing. "Slow down, baby, we're not in no hurry." He growled against my ear as he captured my twitching hands in one of his, tugging them above my head. "How about I take the edge off so I can then enjoy your amazing body?"

I nodded as I whimpered in agony. "Please…"

He slid his other hand around my waist and down to the junction of my thighs, sliding his fingers through the hair there and into the wetness he had created. Wasting no time, he slid his fingers through my wet folds and into the tight channel that quivered with need for him. "You ready for this?" He asked as he removed his fingers and began furiously rubbing at my throbbing clit.

"YES!" I screamed in relief as the waves quickly crested and crashed as he slowed his fingers down.

He released my hands as I sagged against the wall. "Don't move." He growled as he began undoing his pants. Quickly.

Before I had fully come down from my orgasmic high, he was sinking his hard length deep inside me. I couldn't help but wince at the slight soreness I felt at his intrusion. We'd never had sex this many times in such a short period of time and I was a little sore. "You okay?" He asked once he was seated fully within me.

"Yeah, just tender." I whispered honestly because the man could read my body language like a pro.

At my whispered admission he pulled out from me and scooped me into his arms. "I've been too aggressive today, I guess." He admitted as he carried me to our bed.

I shook my head. "It's okay. I've loved every minute of it, I promise." I told him as I gripped onto his to pull him down onto the bed with me. "Please make love to me." I whispered softly.

"My pleasure."

The next morning we made up for our lazy day the day before. I was in the kitchen before the sun was even up and Daryl was out checking the pits for any walkers. "Well good morning." Carol said as she walked in with Mika trailing behind her with a scowl on her face. Despite getting up early every morning for the past several months, the little girl still hated early mornings.

"Good morning. I was thinking we could try our hand at some banana waffles this morning. What do you think, Mika?" I asked trying to cheer the little girl up from having to wake up so early.

She nodded as she lifted her face with a small smile on it. "With honey syrup and butter?"

"Absolutely." I told her as I grabbed the cast iron waffle maker that I had yet to use because I didn't want to waste what flour we had scavenged on making waffles until I knew that our wheat would produce.

"I'll go help Jill with the milk and eggs!" She said as she slipped back out of the door.

I shook my head at her sudden excitement over something as simple as waffles for breakfast. "Have a good day yesterday?" Carol asked cheekily.

With my head ducked I nodded. "Yeah, it was a big day for us. I had to have my birth control implant removed."

"Oh!" Carol said with wide eyes. "That's how you haven't ended up pregnant yet!?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm not sure what the exact date is but it was the summer of the breakout that I had it put in and it only lasts three years. Now, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I join the mommy to be club."

"You could always just not have sex." She said with a waggle of her eyes.

"Ha! Tell that to Daryl!"

While I waited on Mika and Jill to get finished with the animals Rosita came strolling in with baby Chance. "How's the big boy and Momma doing today?" I asked as I took the baby from Rosita to give her a quick break before he woke up demanding to eat. Again.

"Tired." Rosita said as she flopped down on the couch throwing an arm over her eyes and her feet up on the arm rest. "He eats constantly and I'm his milk cow now."

* * *

 **Only 3 more chapters to go!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

As spring turned to summer to work ramped up around our camp as the crops began producing and it was my job to make sure that none of it ruined before we could use it. Drying, grinding, canning, pressing, and using were a vital part of every single day and it was exhausting. "What's on the menu today?" Maggie asked as she sat the pail of goats milk on the table.

I groaned as I eyed the large pail of milk that would have to be made into butter, powder, or cheese. "Someone needs to spend the day at the spinning wheel and loom to get the rest of the wool spun and weaved." I told her with a sigh as I mixed the batter that was going to be strawberry acorn bread for breakfast. "Milk needs to be dried or processed into either butter or cheese." I said as I poured the batter into the buttered pan. "I want to try to make soap again since it was an epic fail last time." I muttered as I stood up to face my sister who was now sporting a small baby bump. "The garden needs weeded. I need to go foraging for some more herbs and berries and acorns to make sure we have enough to last us through the winter. The seeds we've been saving needs to be pressed for their oils. The list is endless, Maggie, it's always endless." I told her with a heavy sigh as I slid the bread into the oven then sat down on the stool Daryl had made me a few weeks ago.

"It will all get done, Beth, I promise. Why don't you and Daryl take some time and go hunting after breakfast?" She suggested as she tipped my chin up so I was forced to look at her. "You're overwhelmed and need a break. So take it. We'll get all this stuff done."

Immediately I began shaking my head. "There's too much stuff to be done around here, Mags. Maybe another day."

Raising her eyebrow up at me she shook her head. "Was foraging not on your list of things that needed to be done? Nobody knows how to do it as well as you do. Plus, I think you and Daryl could both use a break. The place won't fall apart in the few hours you will be gone."

"Fine. I'll talk to him after breakfast about going. We could always use more animal hides for sewing." I told her as I spun around to check on the loaf of bread we were going to have for breakfast." I told her as I pulled away from her to check on the bread in the oven. "I gotta get the eggs going." I told her as I pulled the basket of fresh eggs closer to me. "I'm so sick of eating eggs." I told her with a laugh as I began cracking them into a bowl.

Maggie groaned and nodded in agreement. "Remember that winter we spent on the road? Eating owls, dog, and most days we went without anything so Lori could have it."

"I remember, Mags. That is why I keep pushing myself everyday to make this place better." I told her as I began whisking the eggs so I could scramble them.

"I know."

After a simple breakfast of warm bread smeared with butter, dried cheese slices with pepper jelly, and scrambled eggs I pulled Daryl aside as Mika and Oliver went about their usual morning chore of washing dishes. "Want to go hunting today?" I asked him pointing to our crossbows that hung on the wall inside the back door.

He nodded quickly. "Of course. When we leavin'?"

"Now?" I asked simply.

"Let's go then."

Daryl and I walked side by side with our crossbows slung over our backs and my two baskets dangling from my fingers. "Not that I mind some uninterrupted time in the woods with my wife but do you want to tell me what brought this on?" Daryl asked as I stopped to pluck the ripe berries off of a bush, wild raspberries.

"Maggie." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "Said I needed a break."

"She's not wrong."

With a heavy sigh I turned to face him. "Where would we be if I took breaks all the time? What would we be eating? Canned food that expired three? Four? Years ago."

"I don't deny that if wasn't for you we wouldn't be complaining about eating eggs every day." Daryl said softly as he pulled me up against his chest. "But you don't have to actually _do_ everything, Beth. Delegate. Every single one of us are basically at your beck and call to do whatever needs to be done."

Sighing softly I sat my basket on the ground so I could wrap my arms around his waist. "Our livelihoods depend on every single thing we grow and find, Daryl. I would hate to delegate something and have to end up throwing it all away. That could be disastrous and we don't have a backup plan."

"I understand all of that and so does everybody else. If you just heard the way people brag about the things that you have us do you would know what an amazing job you have done with this place. You would also realize that we are all behind you 100%." Daryl said as he cupped my cheeks in his rough hands. "I love you more than anything in this world, Beth Dixon." He whispered against my lips as he backed me against a tree. "Now, how about we work on making that little Dixon you keep suggesting about?"

I nodded as I slid my hands underneath the waistband of his jeans. "I like that idea." I told him as I smashed my lips against his.

Needless to say, when we got back we were both smiling and laughing which made everybody around us smile at us as we passed them. "Have a good hunt?" Carol asked me as I walked into the kitchen while Daryl went to clean the squirrels he killed.

"Yeah, it was good. I found a bunch of berries and checked on the banana tree and the bananas are startling green which is a good sign." I told her as I emptied my basket out onto the table. "Did the—"

Carol held her hand up stopping me mid-sentence. "Everything is done around here. Rosita is stringing the loom as we speak. Mika and Oliver got a good amount of oil from the seeds they pressed after breakfast and it is already bottled. Rick, George, and Carl spent the day weeding and watering all the garden beds as well as picking what needed to be picked. Maggie, Michonne, and I dried several trays of eggs and milk before slicing the vegetables and drying them as well. Anything I forgot?" She asked with a smile.

My jaw dropped further and further with every sentence she spoke. "Are the sunflowers ready yet?" I asked softly.

"Not yet. Maybe a few more days." Carol told me as she pulled me into a hug. "We've got this all under control, Beth. You need to stop stressing or you will never join the new momma club." She whispered, placing a soothing kiss to the top of my head before pulling away. "Now, what's the plan for these berries? Jelly? Syrup? Cobbler?"

With a smile on my face. "I think a wild berry cobbler will be nice but save some of them because I want to infuse them in some goat cheese tomorrow."

"Okay."

Almost a week later I gasped when Sasha walked into the kitchen just after daybreak with a small bundle in her arms. "Why didn't you come get me? I had the herbs ready to help with the process." I asked as I tugged the small blanket back to look at the tiny baby in her arms.

"Bob knew where they were and took care of it for you. We wanted it to just be us for the delivery. But now I want to introduce Journey Faith Stookey to her aunt Beth." She whispered as she transferred the baby to my arms before slowly making her way over to the couch to gently set down.

Running my finger across the baby's plump little cheek I smiled over at Sasha with tear filled eyes. "She's beautiful, Sasha. You guys made a beautiful little girl."

"Thanks. Bob was concerned about her being so tiny but I told him that my mom always said I was her little mini baby doll when I was born because I was so tiny." Sasha said with a grimace as she settled back into the cushions.

Journey was the center of everyone's attention, just like Chance was a few weeks prior, during breakfast but afterwards there was work to do so Sasha and Journey headed for their cabin to take a nap. As I stood at the stove making the berry infused goat cheese Daryl approached me with a sly smirk on his face. "Wanna go hunting with me after you get this done?"

I rolled my eyes at him because that was his way of letting me know he was horny and wanted my attention. "Yeah. This should be done in just a few minutes." I told him with a smirk of my own. "Why don't you grab our shower bag and we'll go visit the waterfalls?"

"I knew I loved you for a reason." He whispered against my lips before placing a bruising kiss to them and practically running out of the kitchen.

"He's not as slick as he thinks he is." Carol said as she came from the back room with the grinder in her hand, about to attach it to the table. "I think it's good that you two make time for yourselves during the day too."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You got the herb pots today?"

"That's the plan. I think we're going to have enough herbs to last for generations." Carol chuckled as she began positioning the grinder in its usual spot.

Shrugging my shoulders I lifted my cheese making pot off the stove and carried it to the back room where Daryl and Aaron had set up four bricks I could set my pot on to allow it to cool from all sides. When I came back out of the room I smiled at Carol and George having a soft moment together. Clearing my throat to announce my presence I headed for my recipe book that sat on the shelf by all the dried ingredients we had spent tireless hours making and preserving. "Carol, what do you think about attempting to make deodorant now that we have our first successful batch of soap curing?" I asked her as I flipped through my worn out notebook to the recipe I had copied down and then scribbled on as I came up with substitutions for some of the ingredients we didn't have.

"I think if you can think it up we can make it happen." She said as George left the kitchen. "He's the first man that has tried to get romantic with me since Ed was killed."

Bringing my notebook with me, I walked over to where she was standing at the table. "I think you both deserve happiness, Carol. And frankly, you two and Mika make a pretty cute little family. Now, about this deodorant recipe, think you can do it while I'm out with Daryl?" I asked nervously because while I had faith in the woman's abilities I was nervous for the recipe to fail.

"I've got this, Beth. I'll follow the recipe and hope for the best. Maybe I'll rope Maggie or Michonne into helping me make it. That way if it doesn't cure correctly I have someone to blame other than myself." She teased with a wink. "Now, I believe you have a needy man waiting for you."

Smiling at her I grabbed my crossbow off the hook and practically skipped to the trail that led to our cabin.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Babies were almost a guarantee since birth control was non-existent nowadays. Rick, Rosita, Sasha, Maggie, and now Jill was joining in on the bandwagon. "You okay?" I asked Jill as she came back into the kitchen from vomiting at the smell of tomatoes drying in the drier.

She nodded as she took the small cup of peppermint tea I had made for her to help with her nausea and morning sickness. "Why do they call it morning sickness if it happens all day long?" She groaned as she sipped the cooled tea slowly.

"I don't know. Any cramps this time around?" I asked since she had miscarried the previous pregnancy.

"No. Jensen is driving me insane with how overprotective he is since I told him I had missed three periods." She said with a roll of her eyes.

In all honesty, I couldn't stand Jill when we were at the prison because of her attitude and pursuance of Daryl but she had really proven herself since we settled in here at the cabins. She took care of the animals along with Maggie and didn't shirk her duties either. Maggie had told me several times recently that Jill had offered to do all the milking and tying the animals out since she was getting further along in her pregnancy. She was now around 6 months and looked like she was 9! "He's just worried though you should be out of the woods for miscarrying now. The books I've read, along with Sasha, Rosita, and Maggie, have said that once you reach the second trimester miscarriages are less likely to spontaneously occur." I told her as I pulled a tray of dried tomatoes out of the drier, dropping them into my bowl that Mika or Oliver would grind up later, if they didn't eat the slices first.

"I've told him that. Hell, I even showed him the text in the book!" She said with a groan. "He doesn't even want me messing with the animals any more but like I told him, I had to do it until Maggie gave birth then she could take back over until after I give birth."

I nodded at the arrangement she and Maggie had made despite several offers of help from others. "I really hate how you and Maggie are both giving birth in the colder months. The frigid temperatures aren't ideal for a newborn."

Jill sighed as she placed her cup in the 'to be washed' tub. "I know but we'll make it work. Those deer hide blankets you made for us will help keep the babies warm from our cabins to here. Plus, you are pretty amazing with those herbs and teas you make us drink."

I laughed at the face she made. "Thanks. Just know that I hate drinking them as much as you guys do but they keep us healthy during the winter months. You seen first hand what a simple cold can cause."

"I know and I am thankful for all the things you do, Beth. When we were at the prison, I just thought you were a spoiled little brat. But, you have done amazing things running this camp. We would all probably be dead if it weren't for your craftiness." She said with a small smile.

I shook my head. "You would've all figured it out eventually, I'm certain of that."

"Maybe but just know that it is because of you that we can all look forward to having our babies with little to no worries." She said as she made her way to the kitchen door just as Oliver and Mika burst through it practically screaming my name.

"Beth! Beth! Come see what Daryl and Jensen caught!" They chattered excitedly, unable to stand still.

Letting each of them take one of my hands they tugged me out the door after a laughing Jill and towards the animal pens. "Did he bring home more baby bunnies?" I asked them as I let them tug me along the trail.

Oliver shook his head while Mika rolled her eyes. "No! It's something much much better!" they both cheered as I spotted the entire group of occupants peering over the edge of the extra pen we had built just in case we ever came across other animals. "Pigs!" Oliver called out as he pointed into the pen where three piglets stood glaring at all of us.

The smile that broke out over my face had to of been priceless. "Oh Lord, I can already see the wheels turning in that brain of hers now." Michonne said with a roll of her eyes.

Winking at her I nodded. "Bacon, lard, pork chops, and sausage all come to mind immediately." I told her with a broad smile. "This is amazing." I told her as I caught Daryl's eye across the pen.

"We've been trying to trap some of the wild piglets since the beginning of spring but they were some smart suckers. Until now." Jensen said as he picked up his compound bow with a smile.

After a few minutes of spectating the piglets I had the kids go gather some of the feed we had spent weeks making for the animals as well as some bedding of pine straw and hay stalks. "Don't let them out, okay?" I asked nervously as I watched Oliver and Mika jump in joy at having such an important job.

"I'll help them, Beth. To make sure the pigs don't escape." Enid said as she went to follow the two little kids.

"Thanks Enid!" I called to her retreating form.

When I noticed Carl kicking the leaves around a few feet from me, I knew something was up. "Carl, you okay?" I asked him softly. We used to be good friends— though he had a crush on me— before the prison fell and we came up here and we all got super busy.

He sighed heavily. "Do you think you could talk to Dad about something for me? He won't listen to me." He muttered sullenly.

"What's the 'something'?" I asked nervously. Carl had to be sixteen or seventeen now.

"Enid and I want to move into a cabin of our own but Dad says we are too young. But who remains young when you've seen or done the things that we've had to do?" He asked with a shake of his head.

With a sigh I motioned with my head for Carl to take a walk with me. "Why do you and Enid want a cabin of your own? Just so you can have sex more freely?" I asked because I had been a teenager in the apocalypse too so I knew the urges and what the lack of societal rules could do to a person.

Carl shook his head. "No. We want to get married and live together. Dad and Michonne are talking about moving Judy out of their loft and I don't want to share a room with my toddler sister. Then Maggie and Glenn are having a baby soon and Enid doesn't want to intrude on their space or have to share a room with a newborn. We were thinking of asking Tyrese if he wanted to share a cabin with us since Sasha had the baby."

They had good points. "Why don't you go aske Tyrese first and get his answer? Then, you and Enid need to sit down with your dad, Michonne, Maggie, and Glenn and have a discussion like adults. Explain to him your reasoning like you did with me. If he still won't hear you out, then I'll talk to him. Okay?"

He nodded with a sigh. "Okay. Thanks Beth. You don't think we're crazy do you?"

"Not at all. In this world, nowadays, you never know what's going to happen when so it's better to live everyday like it's your last." I told him with a smile as a twig breaking behind me along with the telltale shiver running up my back alerted me to Daryl's presence. "Go, talk to Tyrese. I believe he was heading down to the creek to gather some more water."

Carl walked off while I turned to face my husband. "You're not so slick, buddy." I told him with a smile.

"I broke that stick on purpose." He said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and placed his chin on my shoulder. "What did the young Grimes want?"

Leaning back into him I wrapped my arms over his on my lower stomach. "He wants to move into a cabin with Enid."

"Of course he does. They're at that age where their hormones are raging." He said with a snort.

"What's our excuse then?" I teased playfully.

He laughed, nipping my neck with his teeth. "I just have an insanely sexy wife who likes to live on the wild side."

My body shook with laughter at his comment. "Yeah, if that's what lets you sleep at night."

"You wearing me out is what makes me sleep at night. Want to go celebrate adding the pigs to our homestead?" He growled against my ear as he pressed his erection into my backside.

I moaned at his ministrations and nodded. "Yeah."

By the time we rejoined our family, it was dinner time. "And just where have you two been?" Michonne teased as she reached over plucking a piece of leaf from my hair, holding it up for me to see.

With red cheeks I buried my head in Daryl's shoulder as he just grinned and shrugged. "Celebrating." He told her as he guided me to the table where Carol had a feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad waiting.

"I never thought I would eat fried chicken again." Jesus moaned from his spot next to Aaron. "This is so good." He moaned again as he took a huge bite out of his chicken leg. We hated to slaughter the chickens but with all the chicks being born we had to eliminate some of the roosters and keep our flock manageable.

Smiling over at Carol she nodded for me to spill the beans for the extravagant dinner. "This is a celebration dinner." I told the table as I looked around at the people who now made up my family. "Tomorrow marks one whole year since most of us came up this mountain for the very first time." I told them all with tears in my eyes.

The whole table exploded in cheers and laughter.

 _Survival Mountain_

 _Day 364_

 _Tomorrow marks one year that we have been on this mountaintop and so much has changed since we came running up here after the prison fell to the walkers. We now don't have to wonder where our next meal is going to come from. We don't have to worry about if our babies are going to attract walkers that may kill us and them. We don't have to wonder when the next attack is going to hit._

 _We've been up here a year and nobody has seen another living human being though admittedly we don't do runs anymore but we do venture down to the appliance barricade and the campground barricade at least once a day and nobody has been seen. Walkers are even scarce up here. We can go days without seeing one then see three or four in one day but the pits and stakes keep them from entering our camp. We've made it almost a solid year without any incidents other than normal day to day injuries like Oliver falling out of the tree and breaking his arm or Aiden tripping over a root and spraining his ankle or Carol burning her palm on the cook stove. Those injuries are just part of everyday living._

 _The gardens have been fruitful this year so our stock is HUGE! Root cellars are full, shelves are full, storage rooms are full, creek is filled with jars of perishables, and our clinic is now fully stocked with medicinal herbs and roots._

 _My experiments have paid off. We now have cooking oil, flour, cheese, soap, deodorant, maple syrup, clothes, shoes, and blankets._

 _The kids keep us motivated and on our toes each day. Judith. Gracie. Mika. Oliver._

 _The babies that have been lost and born while on our mountaintop homestead are what make us get up each morning without complaint. Jensen and Jill's first baby. Chance. Journey. Maggie and Glenn's baby. Jensen and Jill's second baby. Mine and Daryl's baby._

 _I haven't told him yet but my menstrual cycle didn't come this week so I am hopeful that it's finally happening!_

 _While we will never forget the ones we have all lost, we have to keep living. It's what they all sacrificed their lives for. Hershel *Daddy*, Andrea, Shane, Otis, Patricia, Annette *Momma*, Shawn, Jimmy, Zach, Dale, Sophia, and so many more._


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Four weeks after my first missed period, I missed another one and knew it was time to tell Daryl we would be expecting a baby Dixon in the spring. Laying in the hammock together watching the sun set behind the mountains seemed like the perfect time to spill the beans. "I'm pregnant." I whispered softly as I rested my chin on my hands against his chest.

His eyes widened before they glossed over with unshed tears. "Really?" He whispered as his hands slid down to my hips, gently repositioning me over him in the hammock so that I was sitting astride his stomach.

Nodding at him ran my hands up his arms. "Yes, really. I've missed two periods already."

Tugging up my shirt to expose my slightly rounded stomach he placed his hands there. "Baby, I promise to be the best Daddy this world has ever seen." He whispered softly.

"You'll be amazing." I whispered as I leaned down to kiss his lips gently. "Congrats, Daddy."

His hands trailed up my back until they sunk in my hair. "Let's celebrate."

Fourteen weeks after I had told Daryl he was going to be a daddy I had to tell him that I suspected he was going to be a daddy to two babies instead of one.

Once again sitting astride his lap in the hammock that now hung in our living room like we did every evening I placed his hands on either side of my stomach where I could feel two sets of kicks. "Feel that?" I asked him softly.

"Yeah, the baby's stretching." He said with a smile on his face. "She's going to be a long legged beauty."

I shook my head. " _They_ are cramped for space." I told him as I shifted his hands to feel the other smaller jabs that I assumed were hands or heads.

"They?" He asked with a confused look on his face.

Nodding at him I shifted his hands back to the stronger jabs. "Seems like there is more than one baby in there." I told him softly.

His eyes got huge as he digested the information that we would soon have two babies instead of just one. "Oh God." He whispered as his hands roamed back and forth between the kicks the babies were giving him.

"This isn't God's doing, husband. This is all you and me." I whispered as tears filled my eyes.

37 weeks after my second missed period a strong contraction hit in the middle of the night, letting me know it was time for our babies to join us. "You ready for this?" I asked Daryl as he rubbed my lower back while I braced my hands on our foot board. My water broke not long after the first contraction woke me up.

"Not at all but I guess it's time to get ready." He snarked from behind me. "Are you ready?"

I shook my head as a contraction ripped through my body. "I'm scared." I admitted to him as I took a deep breath before the next contraction came. They were coming quick so I knew it was just a matter of time before it would be time to push which I was terrified of doing.

"You will be amazing at this, Beth. You are amazing at everything you do." He reassured me softly. "How you will be as a mother is not something I've ever worried about because I know you will be wonderful at it."

"You'll be a wonderful father too. Overprotective but still wonderful." I told him through gritted teeth. "I think you need to check how far dilated I am. It feels like I need to push." I moaned out as I rocked my hips from side to side to ease the pain.

Daryl grimaced as he pulled my gown up over my hips. "What am I looking for again?" He asked as he looked like a lost and scared puppy.

"A purple lit running up my butt crack. If it's all the way to the top it should be time to push." I moaned as I relaxed after a massive contraction. We had discussed early on that nobody would be shoving their entire hands up my whooha to check my dilation.

I spread my legs and bent over more to help him in his quest of the purple line. "It's not quite to the top yet." He whispered as he pressed two fingers just a few centimeters apart.

"It shouldn't be long now." I moaned as another contraction hit.

Oakley Annette Dixon and Archer Merle Dixon made their appearance just as the first ray of daylight began filtering through our bedroom curtains. "They're absolutely perfect." I whispered as Daryl placed each bundled baby in my arms as I lay resting in the bed. Daryl had literally caught our children in his hands as they slid from my body minutes apart and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Once I had found out I was pregnant I understood why Sasha had her baby in the privacy of their cabin with just her and her immediate family there.

"They are indeed perfect." Daryl whispered as he climbed onto the bed next to me. "You did absolutely amazing." He whispered against the side of my sweaty head.

"You did pretty amazing too." I whispered as I leaned against his side with our babies resting against me.

"Archer Merle! Give that back to your sister, right now." I scolded my son as I stood at the kitchen table mixing up batter for strawberry pancakes.

Carol and Mika laughed as Archer turned to look at me with wide watery eyes and a pouty lips. "He's so spoiled." Carol said as she poured me a cup of the dandelion coffee. "And such a cutie." She whispered to me as I glared Archer down.

With a shake of my head he turned back to his stuffed rabbit Tara had made for him a few months back out of a small rabbit hide and corn husks. "Be nice to your sister. She don't feel good today." I told my son who looked over at his twin sister as she lay on the blanket clutching her doll with red cheeks and ear.

We all had to sigh in adoration as he leaned over giving his sister a gentle kiss to the top of her curly head. "Wub, sis." He whispered softly.

Oakley smiled at her brother. "Wub, bub." She whispered back softly.

"They are too damn cute." Carol told me with a wink.

I shook my head. "They're a mess."

Before long Archer squealed loudly letting us know that he spotted his father coming into the kitchen. I had to bite my lip to hide my smile as Daryl scooped up our son 'nibbling' on his neck causing him to giggle uncontrollably. "Da! No!" He giggled as he fought his father's advances but a whimper from the blanket had them both stopping and looking down at our little girl. Daryl folded his tall form onto the floor beside our daughter, scooping her into his arms. "Hi sweet girl. Your ear still bothering you?" He asked her softly as he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She nodded as she curled into his chest. "I think she milks this crap." I told Carol as I watched Daryl entertain Archer while coddling Oakley.

"It's a sweet sight though." Carol said with a smile. "I've never seen him smile so much before you and those babies."

"It clenches at my heart strings whenever I see them like that. I always knew he would make an amazing father." I told her as I began ladling the pancake batter onto the hot griddle.

Carol laughed. "He says the same thing about you."

"Of course he does." I told her with a wink.

Placing the annual anniversary meal on the table in front of everybody brought a smile to my face. "We've made it another year." I whispered softly as I looked around the table that had begun to become crowded over the five years that we've been on the mountain.

Maggie and Glenn sat with little Hershel between them and eight Meadow in her Mama's arms.

Sasha and Bob sat with Journey between them while Sasha rubbed her rounded stomach.

Tyrese sat with Alicia, who he had found nearly dead when he had left our mountain three years ago in search of a companion.

Rosita and Aiden sat with Chance in Aiden's lap and his 18 month old sister, Aurora, in Rosita's lap.

Aaron and Jesus sat with Gracie between them.

Rick and Michonne sat with Judith and two year old Sammy between them.

Carl and Enid sat with their three week old daughter, Lakyn, strapped to Carl's chest.

George and Carol sat beside Mika and Oliver with Tara and Denise on the other side of them.

I waddled my way around the table and took my chair next to Oakley, Archer, and Daryl. Our newest addition was due in two months and thankfully there was just one this time around.

"This makes 5 years since we first came to this mountain top and made it our home. To living and not simply surviving the escape plan!" I said raising my glass of raspberry flavored water up in the air.


End file.
